Muze

Two weekends ago we visited the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations here in Ankara. I was very impressed! Especially because when we visited a similar sort of museum in Antalya I found it to be poorly run. But the one here in Ankara is wonderful! The museum is located in the old part of Ankara, Ulus, and I thought it was interesting to see that in this area where older architecture reigns, even when things are remodeled, that one house appeared to have aluminum siding on it! I thought it was an interesting juxtaposition of old and new.


There were many beautiful artifacts on display but of course, pictures could only be taken outside, hence the urns in the trees and the lion/pig creature.




I was especially impressed by how the museum was ordered chronologically such the display cases went from the Paleolithic period through the Bronze Age and on in a counter clockwise fashion which made the exhibit easy to follow. I was especially taken with all of the Mother Goddess icons and the stone tablets documenting, lists, marriages, divorces, servitude and other contracts along with their stone envelopes. I would recommend this museum - it is not very large but then, I have a hard time seeing everything in large museums anyway. Plus, it is housed in a 10-domed market building that has been restored which is also lovely to look at.

And of course, we ate. Down a few steps off the "parking lot" at the bottom of castle there was this funky, fun looking place with gourds hanging off the rush mat hiding the ugly plastic awning, string beans climbing up strings with a few ice-plants mixed in, 7 tables in total covered in bright oilcloths with comfy looking chairs with bright flower print cushions and a woman beckoning us in. Across the way was a swanky place with a nice terrace, big canvas umbrellas, chic Europeans and very professional looking waitstaff. We opted for piknik place rather than the swanky terrace being in-the-know local types (we stick out like a sore thumb though – we are constantly being offered a taxi). The atmosphere was perfect and the prices were unbeatable - we both had lunch for less than 13 YTL! And it was a marvelous lunch! Peter had an Iskender kebab with all the fixin’s (kebab, rice, tomatoes and cucumbers, flat bread, peppers and a yogurt sauce) and I had a pide (like a pizza but on a flat, oblong, bubbly bread) with cheese and egg (called karsli, I think - there are many kinds of pide). It was delicious. Meals always end here with tea. As we had been eating we noticed a young boy going up and down the hill with a tray of tea glasses and mused on how the tea always seemed to be hot, fresh and plentiful and how no one ever seemed to actually pay for it (not that we have tried to get tea off of a tea vendor on the street, yet). We wondered if maybe tea was just a public service here? Or if there was some sort of Tea Mafioso run by a large woman called Momma Cay? (tea here is pronounced chai just like chai tea at your local coffee house) We thought maybe everyone settled his or her tea bills with Momma Cay down some back alley. Giggling at this when the welcoming hostess who had also been our server offered us tea, we said yes and where should the tea come from but off the tea boy as he passed by! Unless you are licensed as a teahouse, maybe you have to buy from Momma Cay!