WHY I MADE ANKARA THE CAPITAL
Muzaffer Erendil recounts:
On a hot summer evening, Atatürk was walking in the garden of
his mansion with some prominent figures. At that time, I was
busy with the ceiling decorations of the old mansion. A dusty
and misty evening had settled over Ankara. Dust whirlwinds rose
here and there into the sky, adding a suffocating atmosphere to
the scene.
He asked us:
— Did I do well in making Ankara the
capital of Türkiye?
Of course, everyone gave a positive answer. Then came the
follow-up question:
— Why?
Some spoke of strategy, others of politics. One even suggested
an aesthetic theory, saying “rocky terrain is beautiful.”
Atatürk closed the discussion, saying:
— Now stop the flattery.
He continued:
— The qualities you list are not enough
to convince me that Ankara should be the government center. By
making Ankara the capital, I pursued an entirely different goal.
I wanted to show the world once again the power of the Turk to
turn the impossible into the possible. One day, these barren
fields will become green spaces lined with villas surrounded by
trees, adorned with asphalt roads. And we will all see it. It
will happen very soon.