Etimesgut

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Etimesgut is a district of Ankara Province of Turkey, mainly consisting of large public housing projects, 25 km from Ankara city centre. Population: (2000) 171,293.

Contents

[edit] History

Archaeological research shows habitation since 2000 BC, including a Phrygian settlement in the 8th century BC. Then of course the district began to share the history of the city of Ankara with its Lydians, Persians, Galatians, Ancient Romans, Byzantines and finally Turks. Etimesgut is on the ancient Silk Road to the orient, and still today the road and railway from Ankara to Istanbul pass through the district.

Atatürk was fond of the area and would come here to ride horses and chat to the locals. He had a room in the building that is the public health laboratory today, and many other public buildings, including the hospital and the post office, that were built by his order still stand today.

Etimesgut began as a housing project of 50 homes ordered by Atatürk in 1924 to accommodate Turkish refugees from Bulgaria. From the 1950s, as poverty forced people to migrate from the countryside into the city much illegal housing gecekondu was thrown up in this district. Some of this has been replaced by public housing projects such as Elvankent, Eryaman and Guzelkent and also military and civil service accommodation. However much gecekondu remains, inhabited by working class people from cities such as Erzurum, many of whom commute to jobs in the city of Ankara. Almost all of the housing in Etimesgut is apartment buildings except the Guzelkent project. As building land in the city of Ankara is now impossible to find areas like this on the fringes of the city where building land is cheap are growing faster and faster.

The area has only the most basic shops and amenities. The İslamic terrorist organisation Hizbullah had a number of hidden cells here in the 1990s.

Public buildings include the sugar factory, the Turkish aviation authority headquarters at Etimesgut Airport and a military training camp.

The local football team Etimesgut Şekerspor has had a chequered history, although in recent years has gained popularity by hiring former national team player Sergen Yalçın.


[edit] Places of interest


[edit] See also

the municipality website

[edit] Guzelkent

Villas in Guzelkent

Image:Guzelkent evler8.JPG

Guzelkent Towers


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