Since the historical symbol of Ankara is an anchor, therefore APM adopted it as its logo. Anchor signifies safety, peace and hope. It reminds the multicultural past of Anatolia, which is the crossroads of civilizations. It is the symbol of determination in the world where everything is changing.
Why is the symbol of Ankara, located in the middle of Anatolia, far from the sea, is related to maritime?
Ankyra coin from the era of Roman Emperor Gallienus (218 A.D.-268 A.D.) reflects the legend that the name Ankara comes from an anchor. Ankara was called ‘Aγκυρα’ (in Classical Greek it is pronounced ‘Anküra’) by the Phrygians, Galatians and Romans. This name is written in Latin letters as ‘Ankyra’ and ‘Ancyra’ in Western sources.
Ankara is referred to as ‘Beldei-el Selasil’, ‘Mamuriye’ and ‘Ma’muriye-i Selâse’ in Arabic sources. The names “Zatül Selasil” were used during the Seljuk’s era, “Engürü” and “Enguriye” during the Ilkhanate State, “Engürü” and “Ankara” in the Ottoman Empire.
Pausanias, a traveler and geographer who lived in the second century, tells that the anchor legend goes back to an earlier time and that Ankara was founded by Midas, the son of the Phrygian King Gordios. ‘Ankyra’ was an important city in the Phrygian period. It was on the royal road leading to the Persian Empire. In 333 BC, Alexander the Great passed through “Ankyra” on his way to fight with Darius the third. Pausanias writes that the name ‘Ankyra’, which means ship anchor, originates from the fact that the Phrygian King Midas gave the name ‘Anküra’, meaning ship anchor, to the place where he found an iron piece, and that King Midas hid the anchor, which gave the city its name, in the Temple of Zeus (Jupiter). According to legend, King Midas had a dream. The voice in his dream told him, “Look for a ship anchor in your land. Build a city where that anchor is located, this city will bring you happiness”. King Midas then assigned his men to search for ship anchors. There is a ship anchor at the place where Ankara Castle is located and a city is established there. The anchor has been engraved on coins since the second century. Pausanias writes that the water source known as “Midas Spring” on which the lore is made is in “Anküra”.
According to another legend, between 280-274 BC, the Galatians (Tectosags) of Central European Celtic origin marched eastward under the command of Brennios in 280 BC. They plundered the city of Delphi in Greece and Hungary. They threatened the city by establishing a headquarters on a hill across Istanbul. This hill, where Galatians spent the winter, started to be known as ‘Galata’ after this date. The Eastern Romans were saved by paying tribute to the Galatians and helping them cross the Bosphorus. The Galatians, who passed through the Bosphorus to Anatolia, defeated the kingdom of Bergama in 274 BC and took it to the Central Anatolia region. In 273 BC, the king of Pontus Mithridates in the Black Sea asked for help from the Galatians, whom he had previously agreed to fight against the Egyptian navy that entered the Black Sea through the Bosphorus. The Egyptian navy landed in the east of Sinop and was defeated by the Pontus army, mostly composed of Galatians. Galatians depicted the anchors they took from their ships as a symbol of victory. The Pontus king Mithridates gave land in Anatolia to the Galatians who helped him. Galatians established three cities on these lands given to them; Nemeton in the location of the city of Pessinus founded by the Phrygians, Tavion founded by the Trocmiis, Ankyra established by the Tectosagii in the place where the city of Phrygia is located. Tectosagii called this new place “Ankyra”. The meaning of this word is “stopper-interceptor”. This word is later used in maritime and derives into the word ‘anchor’,
According to another rumor, the appearance of the rocky hill where Ankara Castle is located is compared to a ship anchor. However, it’s mostly related to the fact that the Galatians brought an anchor belonging to the Egyptian ship and naming the new city after it upon returning from the Black Sea. Galatians built a castle (Ankara castle) in their new settlement.
Water is at the root of all legends about the name Ankara. The main reason for this may be that until the 1960s there were around two hundred streams and lakes in Ankara. It is claimed that the main reason why Mustafa Kemal Atatürk chose Ankara as the capital is not security but Ankara’s being the center of fresh water resources. As a matter of fact, capitals and commercial centers all over the world have formed where fresh water resources are available.
Ankara’s interest in the sea and the anchor may be due to the fact that this city has been the main trade center where seafarers have been shopping since ancient times. Ankara has become a center where seafarers could buy clothes and non-perishable food wholesale for long sea voyages. The fact that Ankara was on the Royal Road and Silk Road has made this city a trade center. The fact that Ankara was a trade center made it the city that paid the most tax to the Ottoman treasury after Bursa. In Ankara, light and cool in summer, warm and wind-proof in winter clothes made of ‘Soft’ fabric made of Angora goat was the favorite of sailors. It is claimed that Beypazarı rusk has also been produced for seafarers since ancient times. Shortbread made in Scotland, Sweden, Denmark and Ireland is also claimed to have been first produced for seafarers. Beypazarı Kurusu is a kind of rusk made with flour, butter, cinnamon, salt, milk and yeast. It is cooked in wood ovens. It is a easily transportable, filling food that can preserve its freshness for a long time. It can be stored in a dry environment during the winter. Since Beypazarı Kurusu is also given to pilgrims as food, it is also called “pilgrim rusks”. The origin of the name Beypazarı kurusu is probably Central Asian origin. The peoples of Turkish origin in Central Asia called the foods made by drying flour or salty yogurt that do not spoil for a long time as “Kurut”.