06 · City guide
Ankara
Capital of the Republic, showcase of Anatolian civilizations
Built on an ancient city settled since the Galatians and Romans, Ankara was reshaped in 1923 as the capital of the Republic of Türkiye. In Ulus, the first parliament buildings, the Victory Monument and the Republican-era buildings of Namazgâh Hill stand alongside the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations at the foot of the citadel and the Temple of Augustus. Anıtkabir, Atatürk's mausoleum, welcomes millions of visitors a year. Outside the city, the Phrygian capital Gordion and the Battle of Sakarya battlefield are in Polatlı, while Beypazarı, with its historic mansions, and Nallıhan, with its colorful hills, lie to the west. The forests, national park and nature parks of Kızılcahamam and Çamlıdere to the north are the capital's escapes into nature.
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Nature
Abacı Fairy Chimneys
Kızılcahamam, Ankara
Fairy chimneys reminiscent of Cappadocia's, locally called 'Gelin Kayaları' (Bride Rocks) and counted among Central Anatolia's major geosites.
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Ahi Elvan Mosque
Altındağ, Ankara
A 14th-century mosque on the slope of Ankara Castle bearing traces of the Ahi tradition, with wooden columns and a richly carved walnut minbar.
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Tomb (türbe)
Ahi Mesut Tomb
Etimesgut, Ankara
The tomb in Bağlıca of Ahi Mesud, one of Ankara's Ahis, who gave his name to the Etimesgut district.
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Alagöz Headquarters Museum
Sincan, Ankara
The village house used as the Western Front Headquarters and Atatürk's headquarters during the Battle of Sakarya.
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Altınköy Open-Air Museum
Altındağ, Ankara
An open-air museum recreating Anatolian village life of the 1930s–1950s with its mill, school, village coffeehouse and houses.
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Museum of Anatolian Civilizations
Altındağ, Ankara
An archaeology museum housed in the Mahmut Paşa Bedesten and Kurşunlu Han, presenting Anatolian civilizations in chronological order from the Paleolithic to the Ottomans.
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Anıtkabir
Çankaya, Ankara
The mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk; Turkey's most visited monument, on Anıttepe, with the Road of Lions, Ceremonial Plaza, Hall of Honor and museums.
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Ankara Ethnography Museum
Altındağ, Ankara
A museum in an elegant Republican-era building on Namazgâh Hill displaying Anatolian clothing, crafts and objects of daily life.
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Museum
Ankara Air Force Museum
Etimesgut, Ankara
The Air Force museum in Etimesgut on the İstanbul Road, displaying combat aircraft outdoors and the history of Turkish aviation in indoor halls.
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Ankara Castle
Altındağ, Ankara
A historic castle on the volcanic hill above Ulus, whose inner and outer walls preserve the city's oldest settlement core.
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Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum
Altındağ, Ankara
A museum of Turkish painting and sculpture from the late Ottoman period to the present, in the historic building constructed in 1927 as the Turkish Hearths Headquarters.
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Arslanhane (Ahi Şerafeddin) Mosque
Altındağ, Ankara
The Seljuk-era Ahi Şerafeddin Mosque, with wooden columns and a carved wooden minbar, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023.
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Natural monument
Asarlık Tepeler Natural Monument
Nallıhan, Ankara
Cuesta hills northwest of Nallıhan formed by the erosion of clay layers of varying resistance; a natural monument registered in 1994.
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Atakule
Çankaya, Ankara
A communications and observation tower on the Çankaya ridge, opened in 1989, offering city views from its observation deck and revolving restaurant.
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Atatürk House Museum (Atatürk Forest Farm)
Yenimahalle, Ankara
A museum at Atatürk Forest Farm in an exact-scale replica of the house in Thessaloniki where Atatürk was born.
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Atatürk Residence and Railway Museum
Altındağ, Ankara
The Direksiyon building in Ankara Station, used by Atatürk as residence and headquarters during the War of Independence, and a railway museum.
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Temple of Augustus
Altındağ, Ankara
The remains of a late-1st-century BC temple whose walls bear the famous inscription recounting the deeds of the Roman emperor Augustus.
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Hot spring
Ayaş Mineral Springs
Ayaş, Ankara
A drinking-spring and spa area west of central Ayaş, long known for its mineral water.
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Forest
Beynam Forest
Balâ, Ankara
A relict forest of mainly black pine and oak surviving amid the steppe about 50 km south of Ankara; with its picnic areas, one of the capital's classic excursion spots.
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Beypazarı City History Museum
Beypazarı, Ankara
A city museum in a restored Beypazarı mansion, presenting the district's daily life, crafts and traditions.
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Beypazarı Historic Town
Beypazarı, Ankara
Ankara's most visited historic district center, with hundreds of restored Ottoman houses and its blacksmiths' and coppersmiths' bazaar.
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Çamkoru Nature Park
Çamlıdere, Ankara
Çamlıdere's well-known nature park on the old Ankara–Bolu road, with a pond, pine forests and camping areas.
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CerModern
Altındağ, Ankara
An art center converted from 1920s railway maintenance workshops, known for its contemporary art exhibitions and events.
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Çubuk Karagöl Nature Park
Çubuk, Ankara
A crater lake at about 1,600 meters, surrounded by Scots pine and black pine forest; Çubuk's nature park.
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Çubuk-1 Dam and Atatürk Pavilion
Altındağ, Ankara
The first dam of the Republican era, opened by Atatürk in 1936; an excursion area with its lake and historic pavilion.
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Cumhuriyet Müzesi (Republic Museum, Second Parliament Building)
Altındağ, Ankara
The second parliament building, designed by architect Vedat Tek, which housed the Grand National Assembly of Turkey from 1924 to 1960.
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Duatepe Monument and Martyrs' Memorial
Polatlı, Ankara
The monument and martyrs' memorial on the hill on the last defensive line of the Battle of Sakarya, retaken in the offensive of 10 September 1921.
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Erimtan Archaeology and Arts Museum
Altındağ, Ankara
A private archaeology museum at the foot of the castle presenting a collection of coins, seals, jewelry and ceramics from the Hittites to Byzantium in a modern display.
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Estergon Kalesi Turkish Culture Center
Keçiören, Ankara
A cultural center in Keçiören inspired by Estergon Castle in Hungary, with ethnography exhibits and Turkish gardens.
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Eymir Lake
Gölbaşı, Ankara
A tranquil lake on the ODTÜ campus, with a walking and cycling path around it, rowing sports and afforested slopes.
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Gavurkale Hittite Rock Monument
Haymana, Ankara
A small but important cult site near Haymana, known for its Hittite deity reliefs carved into the rock and its wall remains.
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Göksu Park
Etimesgut, Ankara
One of Ankara's large city parks, laid out around the former Susuz Pond in Eryaman, with a pond, an open-air theater and walking paths.
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Gordion Ancient City
Polatlı, Ankara
The capital of Phrygia; the ancient settlement known as the city of King Midas, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023.
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Gordion Museum and Midas Tumulus
Polatlı, Ankara
A museum displaying finds from the Gordion excavations and, opposite it, the Midas Tumulus with its preserved wooden burial chamber.
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Güvenpark and Güven Monument
Çankaya, Ankara
A Republican-era monument in Güvenpark, Kızılay, begun by Anton Hanak and completed by Josef Thorak in 1935.
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Hacı Bayram-ı Veli Mosque and Tomb
Altındağ, Ankara
A historic mosque with the tomb of Hacı Bayram-ı Veli, founder of the Bayramiye order, right next to the Temple of Augustus.
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Hamamönü Historic Houses
Altındağ, Ankara
The living street fabric of old Ankara, with restored traditional Ankara houses, craft shops and tea gardens.
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Harikalar Diyarı (Wonderland Park)
Sincan, Ankara
One of Ankara's largest family parks, in Sincan, with giant statues of fairy-tale characters, lakes and playgrounds.
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Architecture
Hasanoğlan Higher Village Institute
Elmadağ, Ankara
The historic campus of the Hasanoğlan Higher Village Institute, which trained teachers and inspectors between 1941 and 1947 and whose buildings were built by students through collective work.
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Hot spring
Haymana Hot Springs
Haymana, Ankara
A historic thermal spring thought to have been used since the Hittites, known for its Roman-era pools and tunnels.
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Tomb (türbe)
Hüseyin Gazi Tomb and Hüseyingazi Mountain
Mamak, Ankara
The tomb of Seyyid Hüseyin Gazi, remembered as the father of Battal Gazi, on the summit of the mountain of the same name in Mamak.
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İnönü Caves
Güdül, Ankara
An archaeological site in the Kirmir Stream valley consisting of multi-level caves, church-like spaces and stairs carved into volcanic rock.
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İnözü Valley
Beypazarı, Ankara
A narrow valley north of Beypazarı with sheer cliffs, rock-cut caves and orchards.
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Column of Julian
Altındağ, Ankara
A fluted column believed to have been erected to commemorate Roman emperor Julian's visit to Ankara in 362, popularly known as the Belkıs Minaresi.
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Kalecik Castle
Kalecik, Ankara
A historic castle rising above Kalecik district on a hill overlooking the Kızılırmak valley.
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Kesikköprü Reservoir
Balâ, Ankara
A reservoir formed by the dam built on the Kızılırmak in Balâ between 1959 and 1966, a day-trip spot for Ankara residents.
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Bridge
Kız Köprüsü (Karaboğaz Bridge)
Ayaş, Ankara
A 1930s bridge on the Ankara–Beypazarı road, in whose construction Sabiha Rıfat (Gürayman) Hanım, one of Turkey's first women civil engineers, took part.
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Kocatepe Mosque
Çankaya, Ankara
A large four-minaret mosque, a symbol of Ankara's skyline, built in the style of the classical Ottoman imperial mosques.
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Kurtuluş Savaşı Müzesi (War of Independence Museum, First Parliament Building)
Altındağ, Ankara
The first parliament building, where the Grand National Assembly of Turkey opened on 23 April 1920; today a museum on the War of Independence period.
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Mehmet Akif Ersoy House Museum (Taceddin Dergâhı)
Altındağ, Ankara
The house museum in the Taceddin Dergâhı where Mehmet Âkif Ersoy stayed during the War of Independence and wrote the İstiklal Marşı (National Anthem).
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Mehmetçik Monument
Polatlı, Ankara
A 22-meter Mehmetçik statue erected in 2008 on Kartaltepe west of Polatlı in memory of the martyrs of the Battle of Sakarya.
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Mogan Lake
Gölbaşı, Ankara
A favorite lake for outings and walks among Ankara residents, within the Gölbaşı Special Environmental Protection Area, with shoreline parks and birdlife.
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Museum
MTA Şehit Cuma Dağ Natural History Museum
Çankaya, Ankara
A museum on the campus of the General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration presenting the earth sciences through fossils, minerals and dinosaur reconstructions.
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Nallıhan Bird Paradise
Nallıhan, Ankara
A wetland in the reed beds at the mouth of the Aladağ Stream, north of Sarıyar Reservoir, where more than 200 bird species have been recorded.
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Rahmi M. Koç Museum (Çengelhan)
Altındağ, Ankara
A museum in the 16th-century Çengelhan opposite Ankara Castle that presents the history of transport, industry and communication in an interactive way.
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Roman Bath Open-Air Museum
Altındağ, Ankara
The remains of a large city bath built in the early 3rd century under the Roman emperor Caracalla, laid out as an open-air museum.
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Şahinler Nature Park
Kızılcahamam, Ankara
A nature park north of Kızılcahamam, in a forested area near the Bolu–Gerede border, popular for camping and nature walks.
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National park
Sarıçalı Dağı National Park
Nallıhan, Ankara
Ankara's youngest national park, declared in 2021 northwest of Nallıhan, with forests, Uyuzsuyu Waterfall and rich wildlife.
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Satı Kadın Museum
Kahramankazan, Ankara
A house museum in Kahramankazan in the home of Satı Çırpan, one of Turkey's first women members of parliament.
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Tomb (türbe)
Şeyh Ali Semerkandî Tomb
Çamlıdere, Ankara
The much-visited tomb of the 15th-century Sufi Şeyh Ali Semerkandî, within a complex in Çamlıdere.
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Mosque
Sinanlı Ulu Mosque (Grand Mosque)
Ayaş, Ankara
A traditional Anatolian village mosque in Sinanlı village, Ayaş, built in 1547 and divided into five aisles by wooden columns.
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Soğuksu National Park
Kızılcahamam, Ankara
A national park established in 1959 right next to Kızılcahamam, with Scots pine forests, hiking trails and rare birds such as the cinereous vulture.
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Sorgun Göleti Nature Park
Güdül, Ankara
A nature park in Güdül offering a quiet weekend escape, with a pond among pine forests and camping areas.
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Suluhan
Altındağ, Ankara
A historic Ankara han built in the early 16th century, with two courtyards and a small masjid in the middle.
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Tuz Gölü (Salt Lake)
Şereflikoçhisar, Ankara
Turkey's second-largest lake; a shallow, highly saline lake that turns into a white salt crust in summer and where flamingos breed.
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Ulucanlar Prison Museum
Altındağ, Ankara
A historic prison that operated from 1925 to 2006, converted into a museum bearing witness to recent political and literary history.
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Zafer Anıtı (Victory Monument, Ulus)
Altındağ, Ankara
A monument on Ulus Square depicting Atatürk on horseback, unveiled in 1927 and a symbol of Republican Ankara.
Practical information
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- Museum hours and fees may change; check muze.gov.tr before your visit
- Climate
- Continental; large temperature differences between day and night
- Best time
- April–June and September–October; winters are cold and snowy, summers hot and dry
- Museum pass
- Müzekart (Museum Pass) is valid at Ministry museums and archaeological sites
- Getting there
- Esenboğa Airport (about 30 km from the center); AŞTİ bus terminal; high-speed train connections to İstanbul, Eskişehir, Konya and Sivas
- Getting around
- Metro (M1–M4), Ankaray and Başkentray; AnkaraKart is used on public transport