Ankara the former Turkish capital Istanbul (Constantinople) following the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The government is a prominent employer, but Ankara is also an important commercial and industrial city, located at the center of Turkey's road and railway networks. The city gave its name to the Angora wool shorn from Angora rabbits, the long-haired Angora goat (the source of mohair), and the Angora cat. The area is also known for its pears, honey and muscat grapes. Although situated in one of the driest places of Turkey and surrounded mostly by steppe vegetation except for the forested areas on the southern
Sanjak of Ankara capital, and after 1852 the province was once more known as the Ankara Eyalet, and after 1867 as the Ankara Vilayet. In 1912, the "sanjak" of Ankara comprised the districts ("kazas") of Ankara proper, Ayaş, Beypazarı, Nallıhan, Mihalıççık, Sivrihisar, Haymana, Bala, Yabanabad and Kalecik. Sanjak of Ankara The Sanjak of Ankara was a second-level province ("sanjak") of the Ottoman Empire. The town of Ankara became part of the Ottoman state in 1361 or perhaps in 1354. It was the first capital ("pasha sanjak") of the Anatolia Eyalet from its formation in the late 14th century until the late 15th century,