A Legacy of Grape: A Socio-Cultural and Spatial Analysis of Ankara’s Wine Production History
The panoply of symbology and narratives that surround the grape, right from ancestral times, include dichotomous contours of both the sacred and profane, and distinguishes the final product, wine, from any other agricultural product. It can therefore be said that grape and wine production carry a mu...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Koc University, Vehbi Koc Ankara Studies Research Center (VEKAM)
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Ankara Araştırmaları Dergisi |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://jag.journalagent.com/jas/pdfs/JAS_8_2_215_251%5BA%5D.pdf |
| Summary: | The panoply of symbology and narratives that surround the grape, right from ancestral times, include dichotomous contours of both the sacred and profane, and distinguishes the final product, wine, from any other agricultural product. It can therefore be said that grape and wine production carry a multiplicity of historical meanings which convey the very characteristics and richness of the land and the soils of its origin. In this context, following an initial historical review of grape and wine from its ancient origins in Anatolia until modern Turkey, this paper focuses on Ankara’s heritage of vineyard landscapes, grapes, and wine production while providing a critical assessment of its overall legacy. The aim is therefore to not only link together the vine plant and the soil, but also the people and their territory. Unfortunately, the heritage of wine production is fading away. While the Turkish word for the vineyard is bağ, which also means “connection,” the connection between the city and its legacy is weakening.
This research constructs a socio-cultural history of wine production which combine, with an emphasis on Anatolia, sociological/ ethnographic and urbanist approaches to demonstrate the importance of grape and wine for civilizations. By referring to the geography of Anatolia and its suitability for grape production, the research also investigates the spatial features of that history, with a particular focus on Ankara. The viticulture of the city seventy years ago, when it was surrounded by vineyards, is now no more, although the living landscapes (vineyards and houses), wine production and education facilities (Atatürk Forest Farm, Faculty of Agriculture and wineries) and the towns (Kalecik, Akyurt) still remain. The main objective of this study is to contribute to the history of Ankara, which has never been specifically studied through the approach described above, thus simultaneously shedding light on the socio-cultural and spatial history of the region itself. To summarize the results obtained from the research, it can be seen that a nexus of actors, networks and policies exist between the periods of enrichment, and the destruction, of the legacy of grape in Ankara. A city that was once called Engürü (the Persian word for grape) is no longer worthy of that name, and the city is symbolic of the current decline of grape and wine production in Turkey, as well as the degrading perception of the industry in the country. |
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| ISSN: | 2147-8724 2147-8724 |