Etimesgut

Etimesgut
District

Eryaman neighborhood in Etimesgut

Location of Etimesgut within Turkey.
Etimesgut

Location of Etimesgut within Turkey.

Coordinates: 39°57′N 32°40′E / 39.950°N 32.667°E / 39.950; 32.667
Country  Turkey
Region Central Anatolia
Province Ankara
Government
  Governor Recep Erkılıç
  Mayor Enver Demirel (MHP)
Area[1]
  District 49.19 km2 (18.99 sq mi)
Elevation 807 m (2,648 ft)
Population (2012)[2]
  Urban 425,947
  District 425,947
  District density 8,700/km2 (22,000/sq mi)
Time zone EET (UTC+2)
  Summer (DST) EEST (UTC+3)
Postal code 06xxx
Area code(s) 0312
Licence plate 06
Website www.etimesgut.gov.tr

Etimesgut or Etimesut, formerly Ahimesut, is a metropolitan district of Ankara Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey, mainly consisting of large public housing projects, 25 km (16 mi) from Ankara city centre. According to 2010 census, population of Etimesgut is 386,879 .[3][4] The district covers an area of 49 km2 (19 sq mi),[5] and the average elevation is 807 m (2,648 ft).

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 Some of this has been replaced by public housing projects such as Elvankent, Eryaman and Güzelkent and also military and civil service accommodation.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 Islamic 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.

Official Web Site: Etimesgut

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.

Neighborhoods

  • Alsancak
  • Altay
  • Atakent
  • Ayyıldız
  • Bağlıca
  • Bahçekapı
  • Elvan
  • Elvankent
  • Erler
  • Etiler
  • Eryaman
  • Güzelkent
  • İstasyon
  • Kazım Karabekir
  • Oğuzlar
  • Piyade
  • Süvari
  • Şehit Osman Avcı
  • Şeyh Şamil
  • 30 Ağustos
  • Topçu
  • Tunahan
  • Şeker
  • Yapracık
  • Yavuz Selim
  • Yeşilova

Former broadcasting site

At Etimesgut, there was a longwave broadcasting station with two masts each 256 metres tall, which worked on 198 kHz. The station, whose masts stood at 39°56′24.07″N 32°40′3.2″E / 39.9400194°N 32.667556°E / 39.9400194; 32.667556 (Etimesgut transmitter, mast north) and at 39°56′14.33″N 32°40′3.03″E / 39.9373139°N 32.6675083°E / 39.9373139; 32.6675083 (Etimesgut transmitter, mast south) was built in 1938 and shut-down in 2004 and was afterwards demolished.

Places of interest

See also

Image gallery

Notes

  1. "Area of regions (including lakes), km²". Regional Statistics Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. 2002. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
  2. "Population of province/district centers and towns/villages by districts - 2012". Address Based Population Registration System (ABPRS) Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  3. Statistical Institute
  4. GeoHive. "Statistical information on Turkey's administrative units". Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  5. Statoids. "Statistical information on districts of Turkey". Retrieved 2008-05-01.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Etimesgut.

Coordinates: 39°56′45″N 32°40′10″E / 39.94583°N 32.66944°E / 39.94583; 32.66944

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, April 26, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.