Ankara

Ankara became the capital of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, chosen by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk for its central Anatolian position away from the former Ottoman capital. The city’s modern sprawl — now home to over five million people — tends to overshadow its deep historical roots. But Ankara was a significant settlement long before the republic: as Ancyra, it served the Phrygians, Galatians, Romans, and Byzantines in turn. The Citadel district on the hilltop and the Roman-era remains below it mark the layers of an occupation that spans at least three thousand years.

For visitors interested in Turkey’s ancient past, Ankara’s greatest draw is the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, widely regarded as one of the finest archaeological museums in the world. For those interested in the modern republic, Anıtkabir — the mausoleum of Atatürk — is an essential stop.

When to Visit

Spring (April through June) and autumn (September through October) are the most comfortable seasons. Ankara sits at about 850 metres elevation on a dry plateau; summers are hot (regularly exceeding 35°C), winters are cold with snow. The city is an indoor destination as much as an outdoor one — the museum and mausoleum are visited year-round.

How to Get There

Ankara Esenboğa Airport (ESB) receives domestic flights from all Turkish cities and international routes from several European hubs. High-speed rail (YHT) connects Ankara to Istanbul (about 4 hours), Konya (under 2 hours), and Eskişehir (about 1.5 hours). The central train station is in the city centre, within walking distance of the Citadel district.

What to See

Museum of Anatolian Civilizations

Housed in a restored 15th-century covered bazaar and caravanserai near the Citadel, this museum is the single best place to understand the depth of Anatolian history. Its collection progresses chronologically from Paleolithic tools through Neolithic figurines from Çatalhöyük, Hattian sun discs and animal standards from Alacahöyük, Hittite cuneiform tablets and relief carvings, Phrygian metalwork, and Urartian bronzes. Key objects include mother goddess figurines, Hittite sphinx sculptures, and the Ankara Silver Bowl — a Phrygian ritual vessel. Allow at least two hours.

Anıtkabir (Atatürk’s Mausoleum)

Completed in 1953, Anıtkabir is the monumental tomb of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938), the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey. The complex combines Hittite, Seljuk, and modernist architectural references in a design that occupies a hilltop park. The ceremonial approach — the Lion Road — is flanked by 24 lion sculptures. The Hall of Honour holds Atatürk’s marble sarcophagus. The museum below the hall documents the War of Independence and the early republican reforms with photographs, letters, and personal belongings. For many Turkish visitors, this is the most emotionally significant site in the country.

The Citadel (Ankara Kalesi)

The old walled quarter on the hilltop contains narrow streets, traditional houses, and the foundations of successive fortifications from the Galatian period through Byzantine and Ottoman eras. The inner fortress walls incorporate Roman and Byzantine masonry. Views from the ramparts take in the modern city and, on clear days, the plateau beyond.

Roman Ankara

In the lower town, the Column of Julian marks a visit by the emperor in 362 CE. Nearby, the Temple of Augustus and Rome (Augusteum) contains the Monumentum Ancyranum — the most complete surviving copy of the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, Augustus’s own account of his deeds, inscribed on the temple walls in Latin and Greek. The Roman Bath ruins, just downhill, show the standard plan of a provincial Roman bath complex with frigidarium, tepidarium, and caldarium sections excavated to foundation level.

Practical Information

The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations and the Citadel are adjacent and can be visited together in a morning. Anıtkabir is about 2 kilometres west, reachable by taxi or metro. The metro system (M1 and Ankaray lines) covers the central districts. Most travellers pass through Ankara as a transit point to or from Cappadocia, Hattusha, or the eastern regions. The city has business hotels, government-district dining, and a calmer pace than Istanbul.

One Thing Most Visitors Miss

Inside the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, the Hattian “sun disc” standards from the Early Bronze Age royal tombs at Alacahöyük are among the oldest metal ritual objects in Anatolia — predating the Hittite Empire by centuries. These delicate bronze and gold discs, shaped as stags, bulls, and abstract geometric forms, represent a pre-Hittite civilisation whose art and religion were largely absorbed by the Hittites who came after them. They occupy less than one display case, and most visitors walk past them on the way to the larger Hittite gallery.

Ankara is not a city that asks to be admired — it asks to be understood.