Sights and landmarks in Ankara

Sights and landmarks in Ankara

1. SeeCastle

   Ankara Castle

   This volcanic outcrop has probably been fortified since the dawn of mankind, but the earliest traces are from the Phrygians of 8th century BC. The castle was reinforced by the Galatians then the Romans. You stroll up through cobbled streets to the double walls and can climb one of the towers, with views of the sprawling city and distant mountains.

   Daily 10:00-20:00·Free

2. See

   Arslanhane Mosque

   Ahi Şerafeddin Camii

   Built in 1290 in Seljuk style, and repaired in 1330 under Ahi Şerafeddin hence its other name. Well worth the hike up the hill for its finely-carved interior, notably the ceiling supported by a forest of wooden columns. In 2023, five wooden mosques in Central Anatolia were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List - Aslanhane was one of them.

3. SeeHistory museum

   Atatürk & Independence War Museum

   Atatürk ve Kurtuluş Savaşı Müzesi

   This is beneath the Hall of Honor and displays belongings and memorabilia of Atatürk, the 1915 battles of Gallipoli / Çanakkale and the 1920/21 War of Independence, and the postwar overthrow of the Ottomans and proclamation of the republic.

   Mon-Sat 09:00-17:00·Free · Free entry · Wheelchair accessible

4. See

   Atatürk Forest Farm

   Atatürk Orman Çiftliği

   Extensive model farm established by Atatürk, to prove that the dusty steppes around Ankara could be converted into good farmland. (His successors preferred to cover everything with concrete.) The barn has been turned into a museum of farming methods.

   Wed-Sun 09:00-17:00·Free

5. SeeTechnology museum

   Aviation Association Museum

   Türk Hava Kurumu Müzesi

   Small collection of aircraft around a parachute training tower (only 41 m, so don't expect much freefall time), and a small indoor collection. Not to be confused with the military aviation museum west edge of the city.

   Tue-Sun 08:30-17:30·Free

6. See

   Cenâbî Ahmet Paşa Mosque

   Built by the famous architect Sinan in 1566, it's in finely-crafted Ankara stone. The mimber (pulpit) and mihrap (prayer niche) are of white marble.

7. SeeLibrary

   Cermodern

   Contemporary art museum in the former power plant for Turkish Railways.

   Tue-Sun 10:00-19:00·Adult 40 TL · Wheelchair accessible

8. SeePrivate museum

   Chess Museum

   Gökyay Vakfı Satranç Müzesi

   More chess sets ancient and modern than you'd think possible, including weird versions such as the three-sided game.

   Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00·Adult 15 TL

9. SeeHistory museum

   Ethnography Museum

   Etnoğrafya Müzesi

   Huge array of Turkic art covering painting, porcelain, woodwork, clothing, carpets, metalwork and weaponry. It was built 1925-28 and from 1938 to 1953 housed the sarcophagus of Atatürk, pending completion of his mausoleum of Anıtkabir.

   Daily 08:30-17:30

10. SeeTechnology museum

    Feza Gürsey Bilim Merkezi

    Deney ve Sergi Birimleri, bilim tiytrosu,bilim gösterileri, bilim atölyeleri, sergiler,7D sinema filmi gösterimleri, robot bilim başlangıç eğitimleri, yaz bilim kampı ve güneş gözlemi .

    Closed · opens 8 am tomorrow·Entry Öğrenci/Öğretmen:6 TL, tam 8 TL, 0-6 yaş ücretsiz.

11. SeeHistory museum

    Foundation Works Museum of Ankara

    Çocuk müze derneği eğitim çalışmaları/Çağdaş drama derneği eğitim çalışmaları

    Closed · opens 9 am tomorrow·Free entry

12. See

    Hacettepe Art Museum

    Extensive display of Turkish painters and artists from the early days of the Republic until present times.

    Mon-Fri 10:00-16:00

13. See

    Hacı Bayram Mosque

    Hacı Bayram Veli Cami

    This was built in 1428, restored by Mimar Sinan in the 16th century, and with Kütahya tiles added in the 18th. Hacı Bayram Veli (1352–1430) was a poet and Sufi teacher, and his ornate tomb is a pilgrimage site.

    24 hours

14. SeeAttraction

    Kocatepe Mosque

    This had been in the planning since 1944, but attempts at a modern style were thwarted by the conservatives. So what was built from 1967 to 1987 is a neoclassical Ottoman structure.

    24 hours·Free

15. See

    METU Science and Technology Museum

    Odtu Bilim Ve Teknoloji Müzesi

    Large museum of science and technology. Has a particularly good collection of military aircraft, and a large steam locomotive. However, not accessible to the general public usually - you have to have an invitation to the METU campus or TEKNOKENT to pass security.

    Mon-Fri 09:00-17:00·Free - appointment only

16. See

    Molla Great Mosque

    Molla Büyük Cami

    A modest building in spite of the name, this was built around 1500.

17. SeeArchaeological museum

    Museum of Anatolian Civilizations

    Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi

    Excellent display ranging from prehistory to the proto-Greek and Roman eras.

    Daily 08:30-17:30·Adult 80 TL · Entry Yetişkin:75TL-Öğrenci:25TL

18. SeeArt museum

    Painting and Sculpture Museum

    Resim ve Heykel Müzesi

    Built from 1927, this hosts a permanent display of Turkish art from late 1800s to present day, plus temporary exhibitions.

    Tue-Sun 09:00-18:00

19. SeeHistoric site

    Roman Baths

    Roma Hamami

    Ruins of a large Roman bath complex, built under Emperor Caracalla circa 200 AD and in use for 500 years. They follow the classical design of frigidarium (cold room), tepidarium (warm room) and caldarium (hot room), and their relative sizes show that Ancyra had winters as chilly then as now - those coins that fixed the dates were obviously not paid out to get even colder.

    Daily 10:00-16:30·Adult 20 TL

20. See

    Roman Theatre

    Scrappy remains of the stage and backstage, they haven't restored the seating. Statues from the site are in the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations.

    Mon-Sat 09:00-19:00, Sun 10:00-17:00·Free

21. SeeMuseum museum

    Somut Olmayan Kültürel Miras Müzesi

    Çocuklara yönelik-somut olmayan kültürel miras yaz okulu, geleneksel çocuk oyunları atölyesi,karagöz-hacivat gösterileri, çeşitli atölyeler(kanaviçe,kışa hazırlık, ebru,ahşap boyama,geleneksel türk şerbetleri v.b)

    Closed · opens 10 am tomorrow·Free entry

22. See

    Tulumtas Cave

    A prehistoric cave, extensively decorated, discovered during construction of the ring road.

23. SeeTechnology museum

    Türk Telekom Telekominikasyon Müzesi

    lkokul ve ortaokul öğrencilerine rehberli müze gezisi , telekonilasyon cihazlarının tarihi eğitimi ve uygulama seansları düzenlenmektedir.

    Closed · opens 8:30 am tomorrow·Free entry

24. SeeMuseum

    Ulucanlar Prison Museum

    Ulucanlar Cezaevi Müzesi

    This bleak place was built as a barracks then converted to a prison in 1925. It held almost 800, in a mix of semi-open and maximum security wings. It was a brutal instrument of political repression, with its inmates a long roll-call of literati and activists, torture was common, and 19 were hanged in the prison yard mostly for being Marxist. There was a series of riots in 1999. It closed in 2006 and was converted into a museum in 2011.

    Tue-Sun 10:00-16:00·Adult 60 TL

25. SeeHistory museum

    İş Bank Economical Independence Museum

    .Tasarruf bilinci ve finansal okur yazarlığın gelişmesi adına bireysel ve öğrenci atölyeleri yer almaktadır.

    Closed · opens 10 am tomorrow·Free entry

26. See Not mapped

    Ahielvan Mosque

    Built in the late 14th and early 15th centuries, it has a richly carved walnut mimber or pulpit.

27. See Not mapped

    Altınköy Open Air Museum

    Altınköy Açık Hava Müzesi

    A reconstruction of 1930s-50s Anatolian village life, with buildings relocated from rural Western Karadeniz and demonstrations of crafts. The suspension bridge is a catchpenny extra.

    Tue-Sun 10:00-20:00·Adult 10 TL

28. See Not mapped

    Golden Pavilion Museum

    Merik Konağı (Altın Kosk)

    Eccentric reproduction of an Ottoman-style wooden mansion, built by a local businessman during the 1960s. Now open to the public as a museum, with a decent cafe inside. A particular highlight is the signed photos of George H.W. Bush and Margaret Thatcher.

    Tue-Sun - 10:30 - 16:30·250 tl

29. See Not mapped

    Koç Museum

    Rahmi M. Koç is a member of the wealthy Koç family in Turkey. This museum, a smaller version of the one in Istanbul, is crowded with exhibits on transport, communication and science since the 1850s. It's housed in Çengel Han, a caravanserai built in 1523.

    Tue-Thu 10:00-17:00, Sat Sun 10:00-19:00·Adult 625 TL

30. See Not mapped

    Mehmet Akif Ersoy Home Museum

    Ersoy (1873-1936) trained as a vet but became politicised in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire. He's best known for composing the Turkish national anthem. This museum reconstructs his stay here.

    Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00·Free

31. See Not mapped

    Museum of the War of Independence

    Kurtuluş Savaşı Müzesi

    This was the first site of the Turkish Republican Parliament, from 1920 to 1924. The 1921-22 War of Independence was directed from here, and there are photos and other memorabilia. Later the building housed various government functions until becoming a museum in 1981. Signage is only in Turkish.

    Daily 09:00-17:00

32. See Not mapped

    Sultan Alaeddin Mosque

    This is the city's oldest mosque, built in AH 574 (1178 AD) according to the inscription on its walnut mimber, but much modified since.

33. See Not mapped

    Temple of Augustus

    Monumentum Ancyranum

    The Romans conquered Anatolia in the Mithridatic Wars of 88-63 BC, and created the province of Galatea with Ancyra as its capital. From 25 BC they built over what had been a Phyrigian temple to make an "Augusteum" for the worship of their emperor Octavian or Augustus (an outstanding ruler, a contrast to his successor, the dark and dissipated Tiberius). In the 5th century it was converted into a church by the Byzantines. Only the side walls and ornate doorway remain.

    24 hours·Free

34. See Not mapped

    Vakif Museum

    Crowded collection of antique Turkish carpets, candle holders and Korans, watches, woodworks, tiles and other crafts. The 1927 building used to be a law school.

    Tue-Sun 09:00-17:00·Free

35. See Not mapped

    Çankaya Mansion

    Çankaya Köşkü

    Atatürk took a liking to this countryside mansion, which was rebuilt to become the presidential home after the capital moved to Ankara. The mansion became centrepiece of a large government campus, so "Çankaya" meant the presidency similar to "White House", "Kremlin" or "Downing Street". In 2018 the president's residence was moved 10 km north to the humongous (and off-limits) Ak Palace, but the vice-president's residence and several government offices remain here. It used to be possible to arrange guided tours of the mansion and other buildings, but these are no longer available.

    Closed

36. SeeMemorial

    1'inci Derece Nirengi Pilyesi

37. SeeMemorial

    15 Temmuz

38. SeeMemorial

    15 Temmuz Anıtı

39. SeeMuseum

    15 Temmuz Demokrasi Şehitleri Müzesi

    Free entry

40. SeeMemorial

    15 Temmuz Şehitler Anıtı

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Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Ankara (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).