THE NAME OF "ÇANKAYA"

"... A large rock totally covered by green mosses and a source of bright water flowing from the seat of the rock. A pool-like ruined, wracked rock pile at the foot of the water. It is obvious that there was a kind of life here years ago...

An old, white-bearded hodja was telling to the passengers who sat around the water. The crumbs remaining in my memory are like yesterday. The hodja was saying:

Centuries ago, this flowing water was collected in the pool over there. It was used to give solutions to many problems, health to incurable patients, life to the livings. Therefore, they called this place as Çankaya. It was demolished, ruined during the wars, the eye of the water had been closed; when we owned it, the minority settled here opened the eye of the water. However, it no longer gave solution to problems, health to patients, life to the livings. However, the name Çankaya lasted until today” (Erdoğdu, 1999, p.59).

"According to a research of writer Mehmet Kemal, the name Çankaya is coming from the word Çankayası (Bell rock). Over time, the “sı” syllable at the end was lost and it gets the form used today”. As written by Mehmet Kemal: There was a church at the zone called Vineyard of the Priest. Its bell was always ringing at worship hours” (Where does the name Çankaya come from?” Sabah Başkent, 25 June 2000).

After the interview of Ceyda Küçükali, writer of Hürriyet newapaper, published on 2 May 2004 at the Ankara supplement of Hürriyet newspaper, the people of Ankara were asked to share their knowledge about the names of the districts, streets and buildings. Some people answered this request. Yücel Hacaloğlu, Secretary General of Turkish Hearths, was one of them. The information that he shared about the name of Çankaya was as below:

There is a myth suggesting that the name of Çankaya has been Çengikayası (dancers rock), it was used to have dancers play here, then the name Çengikayası was changed and became Çankaya. (Narrated to me by Prof. Dr. M. Kaya Bilgegil, transferring from Rıfkı Melul Meriç)."

In "Ankara in the First Half of XIX. Century” book of Dr. Rıfat Özdemir, Çengi Kayası vineyard was mentioned while describing the vineyards and orchards that were located in the green farming belt around the vicinity of Ankara (Özdemir, 1986, p.217).

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