Space is considered in the literature as having a significant influence on the formation and development of memory. In this context, spatial experiences and the accumulation of knowledge through experiences and reflections on life all play an active role in the generation of both social and individidual memory. In this study, spatial readings and other findings that were obtained by consulting individual testimony of the relations between memory, space and identity were analyzed through drawings and tables. The study focuses on the houses of the Saraçoğlu (Namık Kemal) neighbourhood in Ankara. The neighbourhood is considered as being a cultural property and a place of memory and is studied in the context of the literature by consideration of the place and the people who lived there. A variety of qualitative research methods were used in the study, and the evaluations obtained were used to consider both the past and to reveal future spatial potentials. The most significant result obtained in the study was that the neighbourhood can be considered to be a place that exists in the memories and lives of the residents, and so cannot be examined by considering only the architecture.

Place names are expressions of societies and cultures, and so also have an effect on cultural and geographical image. Cultural choices are made during the naming process in which the named place becomes identified with the corresponding culture. In other words, naming a place is actually a form of categorization. Once the name is given, the name itself, along with the physical nature of the place, its architecture, and the activities that take place there, gains a distinct cultural identity. It can therefore be said that it is possible, through the naming of a place, to either construct or repress identity. As the names of places are in common use, this form of cultural designation, when compared with other elements of cultural geography, can be seen to have an important role in the reconstruction of culture. It is thus not surprising that the removal or the replacement of unwanted parts of urban memory usually occurs through the naming or renaming of a place, and such a process can either cause an existing historical reality be forgotten, or a new one created. In the literature, the process of the naming of public spaces, such as streets, boulevards, neighborhoods, parks, schools, cultural centers and squares, is referred to as “urban toponymy,” Unlike the majority of the studies in the literature, this study focuses on the naming preferences of local government cultural centers, and utilizes Louis Althusser’s ideological state apparatuses concept to investigate how influential naming is in the construction of cultural identity. The study analyzes the names of cultural centers in the central districts of Ankara, and the relationship between name preferences and political ideologies. In the latter part of the study, the relationship between the names of cultural centers and the reproduction of the ideologies of local governments is considered.

The economic value created by companies operating in the furniture industry is very important for our country. This study aims to offer an alternative solution to the design-oriented problems of these companies. The subject of the research is the Siteler furniture production area in Ankara, which is one of Turkey’s best established furniture areas. In the study, officials of 344 small and mediumsized companies operating in the Ankara-Siteler region were surveyed in person. As a result of the research, it was found that although the vast majority of firms are involved in design activities, very few of them have a design department and employ professional design staff, and that the companies who claimed that they used original designs are actually inspired by the products they have seen in catalogs, internet and fairs. Although companies have introduced numerous new products into the market during the last three years, it has been determined that almost all companies do not have a patent and utility model certificate, and at least two-thirds have not received a design award with a design registration certificate. A “design center” proposal was made by the researcher for the region where design-oriented problems were found to be most common, and the vast majority of companies stated that such a core unit was urgently required. It has been observed that a design center would make a significant contribution both to private companies and to all activities throughout the Siteler region.

Henna night is a ritual related to marriage. In addition to being entertaining for the women who participate at the bride house before the wedding, it also has a sacred dimension in Turkish culture as it contains many mythological practices. Henna nights are organized before the wedding by the families and relatives of the bride and groom. While the traditions involved with henna nights have undergone numerous changes in terms of their content and function, the collective structure of the ceremony has been retained. One of the questions considered in this study of Hamamönü henna halls and henna night organizations is whether the organizations which were founded on the basis of the promise of “living, living the traditional henna night,” actually contribute to the preservation of the traditions of the henna ritual. In addition, the study establishes a general framework of the traditions of the henna ritual which provides a comparison of the practices of the henna nights held in henna halls with long-established traditions of henna rituals. The framework looks at the factors that have affected and shaped the developments of these traditional practices. It is concluded from the interviews and observations of henna organizations that the ceremonies held in the halls have changed many elements of the traditional henna night in order to emphasise spectacle and entertainment. This has meant that the henna nights performed in the halls have often moved away from the context of the ritual, and the many aspects of the original ceremony that are attributed to holiness and social aspects have been transformed functionally. Furthermore, many elements of the traditional henna ritual have been decontextualized due to the effects of the media, popular culture and commercial concerns of the businessmen, with new ones practices that are not in the original version being added.

The integrated designed landscape of Ankara’s Republican period has now been replaced by fragmented and repetitive landscapes. This change has introduced a destructive process that has significantly damaged the fabric of the city’s characteristic landscapes, and has obscured their existing value. This article considers two linear landscapes that present different scales, contexts, and spatial types of Ankara’s abraded and lost landscapes: Atatürk Boulevard and Hatip Creek valley. Examination of these two landscapes, which differ in their morphological structures and forms, enables a reconsideration, through an integrated lens, of the characteristic spaces and lost diversity of Ankara’s landscapes. Such a reading also raises awareness of the potential of currently existing areas for landscape production. It is suggested that the landscape-based urbanism that has been considered by many world cities during the last 20-30 years to cope with climate change and preserve the cities should also be applied to Ankara.

The axis and allied powers, mainly Germany and Britain, used propaganda in Turkey throughout Second World War in an attempt to persuade Turkey to become an ally. Britain was at the forefront of this movement and held films, conferences, language courses etc at the British Council, which was established in 1934, to promote English language, cultural accumulation, art and architecture. The council, the first office of which was opened in Ankara in 1940, succeeded in strengthening the diplomatic relationships between the two countries by extensively raising public opinion across the country through its activities. Exhibitions, which are a highly effective method of communication for large groups, were organized in the capital Ankara by the British Council during and after Second World War as a vehicle of cultural propaganda to exhibit art and graphics, architecture, educational institutions, books, urbanism, furniture and photography. The pro-British exhibitions provided the opportunity to establish close relations with Turkish Government officials; and so can be seen to have served Britain’s propaganda efforts to secure Turkey as an ally, both during and after the war. Although Britain actually failed to persuade Turkey to become a war ally, these exhibitions carried out by the British Council did succeeded in introducing the English language, culture and lifestyle to the country, and thus creating positive Turkish-British relations even after the war. While the British Council continues to conduct such activities, the exhibitions held by the British Council, which are the subject of the study, are limited to those of the 1940s. The study uses archive documents, news in periodical publications and information obtained from exhibition catalogues to address questions such as the dates of the exhibitions, the areas and works exhibited, the views of the Turkish government, the public, and the press of these exhibitions, as well as the relevance of the exhibitions in their period and how they compared to similar activities by other countries. The study, which is entitled “The Cultural Propaganda Exhibitions of the British Council in Ankara in the 1940’s” and focuses on the exhibition activities organized by the British Council in Ankara during the 10-year period between 1940-1950, concludes that reasons such as the propaganda that occured during World War II, the changing global political balances after the war, and the increasing importance of alliances, all lead the delegation to conduct an intense program of activities in Turkey during those years.

This study uses the analytical lens of the “revanchist city” to examine the neoliberal urban renewal processes in Ulus, a historical district in Ankara, Turkey’s capital city, in which prostitutes work. This study takes a comparative approach to examine the construction of femina grata by analyzing the law, practices, and political projects in relation to women in the radical modernity period of Turkey. It also analyzes current neoliberal revanchist interventions that have taken place in Ulus and looks at their gendered meanings in accordance with implemented urban renewal strategies. I mainly argue that neoliberal revanchist policies carried out in Ulus aim to cultivate city spaces for capital and attract families who engage in pious activities, and thus do not include those women and families who remain secular through the creation of a moment of “triple dualism.”

Wall paintings and painted decorations are an art form that has been practised since the early period of the Ottoman Empire. This branch of art became more widespread in the late period of the Ottoman Empire and was performed by artists in many cities. One of these cities is Ankara. There are many examples of painted decorations and murals in religious and civil architecture in Ankara. One of them is the subject of this study: the Mosque in Karahoca Village in Haymana. There is no monographic study conducted on this building. The aim of the study is to examine the painted decorations and wall paintings of the mosque. The decorations in the mosque dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century. These examined decorations will first be compared with other examples in Ankara and then with the ones from nearby places. One of the most important features of the building is that its artists are known. The traces of the artists who made the decorations will be followed. In addition, the building, which is not in use today and is in a very bad condition, will be introduced and presented to the science world.

Although jazz music and Ankara seem far apart both culturally and geographically, they did unexpectedly come together towards the middle of the last century. The foundation of the new government in 1923 transformed the appearance and the cultural atmosphere of the city. During this time, Western popular music became the favorite genre for modernization in the context of creating a “new life and new society.” Jazz, the popular music of the period, had spread from the USA to Europe, and reached Istanbul in various different ways. The arrival and development of jazz music in Ankara was achieved by the musicians who traveled from abroad and from Istanbul, as well as by those musicians who played classical western music. Jazz and dance music were played in the same repertoires for many years since the proclamation of the Republic, and jazz gradually became separate from dance music. The period between 1940-1980 was when the development of jazz music took place in the cultural memory of Ankara. The factors affecting this development can be grouped under three main headings. The first is the broadcasts of Ankara Radio and The Voice of America. The second is the Turkish-American Association, the American News Center (USIS), Officers’ and the NCO clubs, which were all established in the city by the USA. Finally, the foreign musicians who performed in hotels such as Ankara Palace, Balin, Barıkan, Büyük Ankara and night clubs such as Süreyya, İntim, Club Yaşar, Babylon, Bomonti, Gar Casino, Beer Park, Göl Casino, Derya, Feyman, Yeni Süreyya, Altınnal, Club X also raised the profile of jazz in the city. Over the years, the number of Turkish musicians gradually increased, and the orchestras, who started to call themselves “cazbants,” rather than “jazz bands,” helped develop many musicians who are acknowledged world-wide. Furthermore, venues gradually became jazz clubs where standards were often included in the repertoires. Artists gradually started to produce original works, compositions and arrangements that were blended with traditional music, and these became more enduring with the release of albums. The study brings together the data achieved from a literature review and various interviews with musicians who witnessed the period. The aim is to shed light on the historical process of how jazz music began and subsequently developed in Ankara.

The Ulus newspaper dated December 28, 1934, reported that the Soviet Russian literary magazine Novy Mir printed the impressions of Lev Nikulin, who spent about two months in Turkey. The article, which is said to be describing “New Turkey”, described the author’s cordial and vibrant articles about Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. This study focuses on the writings of Nikulin about the city of Ankara, which he visited in the middle of his tour of Turkey, and how the Soviet writer conveyed the founding dynamics and the ideology of the Republic to his readers.