ANKARA CITY

Ankara, which is the capital city, is the second biggest city in Turkey. There are many cultural and historical places in Ankara for our visitors. You can see ancient baths, museums, bazaars, temples, castles and mosques here.

Where to visit in Ankara

The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations: The Anatolian Civilizations Museum is one of the top-rated museums in the world, and it has unique collections. It was awarded the title of “Museum of the Year in Europe” in 1997. The artifacts are displayed in chronologically separated sections. The upper hall area contains exhibits from the Palaeolithic Age, Chalcolithic Age, Old Bronze Age, Assyrian Trade Colonies Age, The Old Hittite and Hittite Imperial Age, Phrygian Kingdom, Late Hittite Kingdom, and Urartian Kingdom. The lower contains exhibits from the Classical Periods and Ankara through the Ages.

While here, visitors can climb to the top of Ankara Castle (Ankara Citadel) for a panoramic view of the city and visit the Rahmi M. Koç Museum. For a historical experience, guests can enjoy breakfast or a drink at And Cafe in a historic building in Kaleiçi. In the evening, concerts are held at the Erimtan Archaeology and Art Museum.

Ankara Citadel: The foundations of the citadel were laid by the Galatians on a prominent lava outcrop, and completed by the Romans; the Byzantines and Seljuks made restorations and additions. The area around and inside the citadel is the oldest part of Ankara and many fine examples of traditional architecture can be seen within the citadel walls. It’s well-known that the Ankara region was the cradle of “vino” (Hatti and Hittite) in 2,000 B.C.; many restored traditional Turkish houses in the area of the citadel have found new life as restaurants, serving local and international dishes and wine. www.ankarakalesi.com

Temple of Augustus:

The temple can be found in the Ulus quarter of the city. It was built by the Galatian King Pylamenes in 10 A.D. as a tribute to Augustus, and was reconstructed by the Romans on the ancient Ankara Acropolis in the 2nd century. It is important today for the ‘Monument Ancyranum’, the sole surviving “Political Testament” of Augustus, detailing his achievements, that is inscribed on its walls in Latin and Greek. In the 5th century the temple was converted to a church by the Byzantines.