A Symbolic Medium of the Nation: Ankara

The documentary commissioned to promote strengthened Turkish–Soviet relations and showcase “new Ankara” as a symbol of the modern republic opens with a speech by İsmet Paşa against the backdrop of undeveloped terrain. The audience members wear modern Western attire, reflecting the republic’s aspirations for its citizens. The film then contrasts this vision with the actual state of central Ankara — depicting camels, donkeys, narrow streets, and informal settlements as representing historical Anatolia.

İstanbul served as a reference point, as it was more urbanised than Ankara at the time. The deliberate selection of Ankara as an image-making place for the young republic proved significant given the state’s modernisation goals and international trends.

From its founding, Ankara became the location where national identity was constructed. Featuring wide boulevards, modern buildings, institutions designed by foreign architects, updated infrastructure, and the Parliament House in Ulus, Ankara symbolised modern Turkey and its secular governance. The city’s transformation from prairie to symbolic medium reflected Turkey’s changing political and social context, with media serving as an effective propaganda tool for new ideologies.

Ankara represented an undeveloped yet promising location free from Ottoman legacy constraints. The Temple of Augustus exemplified the capital’s Western historical roots. Architecture emerged as the primary medium for symbolising transformation, with foreign architects invited to design modernist banks, scientific institutions, and government buildings. Their work advanced both Turkey’s contemporary image and its architectural education.

Monumentalism replaced the modest pastoral past with structures representing new urban realities, lifestyles, and philosophical perspectives aligned with the desired Turkish Republic image. Ankara ultimately became a representative case study for Turkey’s future planning and development.