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The new concert hall of the Presidential Symphony Orchestra and the chorus practice halls in Ankara were inaugurated in 2020 at a special event. This marked not only the end of almost three decades of project development and construction, but the transformation of the site, at least for now. The aim of this paper is to consider the recent history of Ankara to reveal the changes that shaped have this site since the end of the 19th century. Certain assumptions that Ankara was built from scratch, or that it was systematically planned and constructed as part of the plans for the modernization of Republican Turkey, or that the history of the last century could be considered as part of subsequent planning processes, will mostly be suspended when constructing this narrative. The development of this area will be considered as a process of continuities, rather than ruptures, namely rational decisions necessitated by current conditions, instead of the mere whim of planners and/or designers; and suspended meta-narratives will be referred to only when such clarifications alaremain insufficient. In conclusion, it will be discussed if the possibility of turning this area, which has always been absolutely central in the urban fabric and has always been assigned crucial functions for the city, yet never even recognized nor been an indispensable component of everyday life, can have formed the new cultural focus of today's Ankara. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to evaluate the pottery dated to the EBA I through archaeological documentation and classification methods, as a result of the survey within the scope of doctoral thesis on the Middle Porsuk Basin within the Eskişehir province. The EBA was defined by Mellink as the result of the support of pottery with new features, unlike the previous period, with architectural change. In this context, the pottery, which reflects the characteristics of the period and is accepted as an innovation, was first compared with the reference excavations, dated and documented with a catalogue. The information about the forms, surface treatments such as slip and burnishing, paste color, temper, firing production techniques are given in the catalogue. Demircihöyük is the only settlement in the region whose excavations have been completed. General information was given about pottery from other reference excavations. The Hacılartepe from the Northwest and inner Northwest Anatolian settlements, Küllüoba Höyük in the Upper Sakarya Basin, Beycesultan Höyük in the Central West Anatolian region, and Kusura Höyük in the Afyonkarahisar region and Çayyolu Höyük and Polatlı Höyük in the Ankara region. The pottery found in thirty settlements in the Middle Porsuk Basin will contribute to understanding the region's EBA I culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the reflections on the activities of Refet Pasha, who was sent to Istanbul as the representative of the Ankara Government, in the American press were discussed. The study aims to reveal the way of presentation of Refet Pasha's works and his relations with allied representatives to the reader through the American press. For this purpose, news and articles related to the subject were first determined and their classification was made. The news that presented the developments to the reader information, as they are mostly, were evaluated as a priority. Articles found to contain propaganda and false information were excluded from the evaluation. The comparative analysis method was used in the study. Accordingly, the news on the subject in the American press was included in the scope of the evaluation after they were compared with the local sources and especially the information in the local press. It has been understood that the activities of Refet Pasha in Istanbul were carefully followed by the American press and thousands of news and articles on the subject appeared in the relevant press. The possible findings of the study are to reveal the view of the American press on the administration of Refet Pasha in Istanbul and to contribute to the literature on the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It may be considered too pretentious to analyze the totality of a period of hundred years comprising different administrations, regimes and ceaselessly changing world environment. Particularly if the issue is about the transport policies of our large cities, sometimes fluctuating on every one or two years" Therefor this paper starts by focusing on the transport history of Aksaray District of Istanbul, and summarizes the developments from the beginning of 20th Century until 1970's. In this context, the disruptive consequences of road projects in the Historical Peninsula -implemented mostly unconsciously-are exhibited. After a short review of contemporary transportation policies emerged in the world in subsequent years, policies executed in three largest cities of Turkey -including Ankara and Izmir-are analyzed. It is observed that former understanding continued in major cities, with an exception of few local contemporary implementations. An assessment of transport projects and measures realized in those cities from 1990's until nowadays -according to globally accepted criteria- follows these observations. The conclusion states that the factors which caused the emergence of contemporary transport policies will remain as a major risk for the whole world in post pandemic period and those policies will be needed more than ever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay belongs to a city planner who was born in Ankara as a child of a family from Mardin, grew up in Mardin culture and made her first trip to this city in 2008, 11 years after acquiring her profession. After hearing and seeing thousands of things about this magnificent city prior to her first visit, the only thought upon her eventual arrival was that this already late 'first' will definitely not be the 'last'. With this paper, the author aims to share the numerous things that she would like to say about the city by describing the physical and socio-cultural texture that made Mardin to be Mardin by focusing on time. In the first section titled "Like Bedri Rahmi...", the author explained the impression left on her by the locational and physical distinctness of the city, and in the following sections, from a historical perspective she elaborated on how the inhabitants of the city achieved the process of physical and socio-cultural formation of the city by "Giving Time Its Due" and mentioned Mardin's "Stories in the Serenity of Time". While "Reaching for the Future..." and as the "Last Word", for the city of thousands of years of history, she discussed the irreversible mistakes caused by the "rapid" and "hasty" implementations of tourism policies adopted especially after the city's entry into the Tentative List for World Cultural Heritage, and in turn discussed what kind of vision and approach should be adopted, and in doing so aimed to raise the anticipated questions in the minds of readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

State-led urban renewal has been a "modus operandi" for transforming city parts to serve various objectives, including the reproduction of the built environment, maximizing returns to real estate, or changing the socioeconomic profiles of neighborhoods. However, large-scale urban renewal agendas do not necessarily unfold as projected. This paper introduces the term 'detransformation' to define the socio-political nature of this multifaceted and complex process of urban change that diverges from the intended outcome and intensifies the politics of waiting. By conducting a comparative analysis of three extreme cases of urban renewal operations from three major metropolitan cities in Turkey (Fikirtepe-Kadikoy in Istanbul, Karabaglar in Izmir, and Akdere-Mamak in Ankara), we explore the inherent institutional, political, and administrative mechanisms that impede the intended redevelopment outcomes. We identify the socioeconomic and legal dynamics that lead to the institutional bottlenecks in redevelopment planning and conclude that the reckless urban renewal implementation generates exceptions to the order of formal urbanization that is mainly shaped around the politics of waiting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atatürk Forestry Farm was established in 1925. Various water sources inside the farm area were established for irrigation and the needs for different facilities. For the water needs of the Marmara and Karadeniz pools within the farm, a 15 kilometer water transmission line was constructed from Kırkgöz Catchment between 1935 and 1936. The catchment area is currently located in the Alacaatlı neighbourhood of Çankaya. The water source was then assigned to the Ankara Beer Factory. In 1939, the water source became the property of TEKEL. In 2010, with the privatization of TEKEL, Kırkgöz Catchment was sold to a joint venture. Although the water source still remains, the presence of at least half of the transmission line is questionable. In this paper, historic documents and recent on-site findings related to this forgotten water source, Kırkgöz Catchment, have been compiled. In addition, an attempt is made to estimate the route of the 15 kilometer transmission line. In the conclusion, whether or not this historically important groundwater source can be considered a part of today’s Ankara is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional folk dances- important elements in oral culture- play important role in transmitting cultural values between generations. The dance called “canimen” performed by the Alawi Turkmens in Central Anatolia is also one of the elements of traditional oral culture and has been carried to the present day as a cultural heritage whose source is the community and whose creator is not known. The tradition of using the performing arts dating from the era before Turks’ embracing of Islam as their religion has been preserved in Alawi practices which are based on different belief forms of Turkish culture within the belief system of Alawis. This study reveals the traces of “canimen” from the past. The functions dances fulfil in the transmission of cultural codes from generation to generation are examined within the scope of the study. The field study of the dance “canimen”- which is integrated into the value system of Alawism, which reflects the social structure of the local people, which transmits the cultural features to the present and which is performed for fun- was limited to Elmapınar village of Kalecik district of Ankara. Folk dances assemble people and they prevent them from being individuals and thus play role in turning them into collective elements. The functions of the folk dance have been evaluated not only as the explicit function that is performed in the visible state but also with implicit latent functions including rituals and ceremony elements. The research data were collected through semi-structured interviews. In the study, the play-dance relationship has been emphasized and canimen is considered as a didactic element. It is found in this study that the dance has functions that strengthen the sense of unity and togetherness as an important cultural element of the community, which enable the transmission of cultural codes between generations and which also act as an instrument of socialization. On the other hand, the way folk dances are performed and the functions they fulfil also change in parallel to socio-economic and socio-cultural developments such as globalization, urbanization, and migration. While maintaining its existence in the culture-belief system in the region; it has been observed that the concepts of verbal memory of the folk dance were gradually forgotten, visual memory was beginning to disappear and the didactic function of the dance coming from the past to the present time cannot be fulfilled sufficiently today. Because rituals have significant functions in arranging, maintaining, and establishing social order; they are also open to changes in accordance with social structure. Canimen- which faces the danger of being forgotten today- is an important product of a social culture with its cultural codes and functional properties. It is of vital importance that its current structure should be recorded and transformed into a written source in keeping the cultural values alive so that the folk dance can be transmitted down to next generations by re-synthesizing it in the system of values which develop with changing life conditions. This paper considers the folk dance, canimen, from the sociological perspective. Such an element of oral culture-which is in danger of beginning forgotten- will be preserved through studies to be performed in the future with larger samples in disciplines such as literature, folklore, and performing arts. Besides, it is also thought that studies which describe the historical, cultural, and geographical details of the dance will contribute to the areas of culture and science significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to understand how the structure of mobilization networks relates to the outcomes of collective action by using 17 cases of neighborhood protests in Ankara between 2007-2011. Based on police records and on site interviews, the findings of the study suggest that successful outcomes depend on two mobilization structure related processes; the first one facilitates the efficient flow of information for coordination purposes, while the second increases the tendency of participants to use high-risk disruptive tactics due to the prevalence of strong ties amongst the protagonists. This paper also considers, to some extent, the antecedents of these structures, and shows that they originate from two sources that very much depend on each other: the spatial configuration of the neighborhood in question and pre-existing informal social ties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the transformation of Balgat from a remote and deserted village to a central neighbourhood of Ankara. It stems from Daniel Lerner's once very popular book The Passing of Traditional Society: Modernising the Middle East. The study on Balgat village in the beginning of fifties, occupies a central place in this work which is based on modernization theory. In Lerner's work the "village grocer" represents modernity while the "village chief" represents the traditional circle. Lerner describes the short term change occurred between 1950 and 1954 in this village as a successful modernization case. In this paper, the transformation of Balgat from 1950's to 2010s is studied in a basis of direct physical urban observations and interviews with old residents who knew those times during which Lerner visited the village. It is argued that Balgat which shows presently signs of post -modern disorder in a process of rapid change and transformation will lose its neighbourhood character to become a central business area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All mobile devices use similar methods for text entry, because of their limitations. One of these methods is handwriting recognition systems which has different applications in different devices. In this study, the effects of handedness were examined whether it has any effect on usability scores and handwriting speed on a Graffiti handwriting recognition system in Palm-OS. This study was carried out on 20 Middle East Technical University students who have no experience on Graffiti with the age range of 20-28. Ten of them named themselves as left-handed and ten of them named themselves as a right-handed. Data collected from these users with two user tests and one questionnaire. In the first user test, users supposed to write a given text on an A4 paper. In the second user test, they supposed to write given text to PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) via Graffiti handwriting recognition system. At the end, System Usability Scale (SAS) is used to see the usability of the Graffiti. By this way, writing speed, error rates, and usability of the system can be seen. In the paper based user test, left handed users significantly writes slower than right handed users. On the other hand, there is no significant difference between writing speed of left-handed and right-handed users. Also, there is no correlation between writing speed difference on this task. That means, being a fast writer on paper does not meant to be a fast writer on a handwriting recognition system because those two activities need different mental and motor skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, historical development processes of Tahtakale, Karaoğlan Bazaar and Ulus in Angora (Ankara) were briefly analyzed. Especially Ulus The historical development of especially the historic trade center of Ulus was examined in terms of social and economic structure and spatial relationships. Atpazari, which is at the entrance of Citadel (Kalekapısı) and Samanpazarı and Koyunpazar Bazaars, which are in streets linked to the Citadel are the commercial spaces that developed the first in Ahi Era and Ottoman Era. Where Cikrikcilar Slope, which is like a sequel of these spaces, is connected to Taht'el Kal'a', Hasanpaşa Inn (Sulu Inn) and Tahtakale Inn were built in the early 16th century. Tahtakale Bazaar, which grew with the Ibadullah Mosque, Haseki Mosque and Haseki Bath, continued to develop in 17th, 18th and 19th centuries in line with economic development. Karaoğlan Square (Tashan), which developed after the connection of Anatolian Railway to Angora and that of Istasyon (Station) Street to Taşhan Square in 1892, has become a trade area chosen by the city's relatively modern inn and shops. Located in the center of the city's most dense neighborhood,Tahtakale Bazaar was a place where mainly daily consumption, food and some other mandatory requirements were met. In the early 20th century, despite the economic downturn in the town, Tahtakale Bazaar in which Sulu Han is located and Karaoğlan Bazaar devepoled and became the center of Ulus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Şeriyye registers (archives) are considered as the most important resources of Ottoman History. Şeriyye register include not only information abou tletters written among state institutions, public demands, announcements, papers, and war rants but also agricultur alproducts grown in theregion, estimated populations of the towns, diseases, and family life. Due to this importance of the Şeriyye registers, the current study was set out to explore administrational, social, cultural and economics ituation of the Amasya bymeans of Şeriyye register dated of H-1131-1132/1718-1720 belonging to 29 numbered microfilm at the national library presidency in Ankara, Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concomitant with the heavy use of the Internet, the Web and social Networks, scientific, technological and social changes speed up nowadays, resulting in the production of massive data and information. Information that is mostly discovered, organized, retrieved and used through the networks needs to be managed effectively. The curricula of the departments of Information Management educating information professionals should mirror such scientific, technological and social developments. In this paper, we review the process of the revision of the undergraduate curriculum of the Department of Information Management of Hacettepe University. First, we introduce the Department briefly, then we review the studies carried out between 2009 and 2011 to update the curriculum along with the conceptual model of education for information management developed during this process. Finally, we provide brief information on double major and minor programs that have been developed mutually with the Departments of Economics and Computer Engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about the first activities of Musa Celebi, who was one of the Ottoman princes fighting for the throne following the death of his father Bayezid I by Timur at the battle of Ankara in 1402. Some Ottoman chroniclers such as Asıkpasa-zade recorded that Musa Celebi defeated his brother İsa and captured Bursa, the Anatolian capital of the empire as early as 1403. Modern scholarship, on the other hand, is divided on the question as to whether traditional accounts were reliable regarding the Musa Celebi's ascension to the throne in 1403. While some studies continue to rely on the narratives of Asıkpasa-zade, some others tend to be questioning the reliability of them, it is obvious that there is no convention on the assessment of the Musa Celebi's ascension to the throne in 1403 (and this issue remained as a gap in the historiography Ottoman Empire.) This present study aims to shed some light on this ongoing scholarly debate by utilizing new sources. One of them is an anonymous Byzantine short chronic and an account from Serbian annuals. The other source is a menakibname attributed to Ahmedi among the Neshri's History, one of the most reliable Ottoman sources. Through a comparative analysis of these sources, this paper will demonstrate that while contemporary Byzantine and Ottoman historians may have differed in their approach, they shared a common narrative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In November 2010, Ankara endorsed NATO's new strategic concept which, inter alia, called for development and deployment of a balistic missile defense system. This endorsement in a way removed the uncertainity surrounding Turkey's future within the Western security community. It can be taken as a sign that Turkey continues to value its 60-year NATO membership even though its foreign policy in the last decade has been marked by relentless pursuit of autonomy at regional and international levels. Having renewed its committment to NATO, Ankara on the hand, risked its relations with Iran and Russia as both have their own reasons to resent its balistic missile defense system. Regardless, Ankara went even a step further and agreed to host an X-Band radar site in southeastern Turkey which offers a sufficient margin of early warning advantage over previously considered sites in Eastern Europe. This paper argues that NATO's decision to deploy missile shield indicates a major shift in the Alliance's deterrence posture from deterrence by punishment to deterrence by denial. Turkey's decision to host a radar site, on the hand, means Ankara is aware of revival of its "real estate value" for NATO's security and likely to generate profound impact on regional balances in the Middle East in coming decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, impressions on the Disability Awareness Training are presented which was organised by Middle East Technical University (METU) Library and Documentation Center within the 48th Library Week celebration program. This training takes two hours and consists of two parts: "Attitudes and Behaviours" and "Models of Disability". The aim of the training is to help to examine the attitudes and behaviours about people with disabilities and to guide the attendees in how to communicate and work more effectively with them. After the positive feedbacks, it is decided to write a brief information on training. In this context, the creation and scope of Disability Awareness Training are explained and feedbacks of the participants are given with their own words. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine synthetic colorants in the 160 foodstuffs samples including jam, fruit yogurt, fruit juice, non-alcoholic beverages and sugar coated apples sold in Ankara Region (Turkey). The synthetic colorants; Tartrazine, Quinoline Yellow, Sunset Yellow F.C.F, Carmoisine, Ponceau 4R, Indigotin were determined qualitatively in all samples using wool coloring and paper chromatography methods. First-derivative spectrophotometric method was used for quantitative determination. Mean level of Ponceau 4R together with Carmoisine was found to be 49.2405±0.0002 mg/l in 11 non-alcoholic beverage samples. Mean levels of Ponceau 4R in the sugar coated apple samples of A and B pastry-shops were found as 2265.3140±36.0215 mg/kg and 584.4700±3.5281 mg/kg, respectively. Our data revealed that while synthetic colorants found in non-alcoholic beverage samples were within the limits of Turkish Food Codex (TFC), Ponceau 4R levels in sugar coated apple samples were above the TFC limits. Synthetic colorants were not found in other food and beverage samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to test the proposition that the predetermined innovation capability dimensions can affect the export performances of firms. For this purpose, firms' innovation capabilities are considered in seven different dimensions (learning, research and development (R&D), manufacturing, marketing, organizationel structure, resource allocating, and strategic capability). Data are collected from 70 manufacturing firms in Ankara Sincan Organized Industrial Zone by face to face survey method. According to the results of statistical analysis, there is no significant differences in innovation capabilities of firms in terms of export frequencies, export behaviors (export/sales revenue) and innovation frequencies. On the other hand, there is a significant difference in R&D innovation capabilities of firms in terms of the ratio of R&D expenditures in total budget. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]