Ankara is a city in Turkey filled with historical and natural sites that amaze any traveler with any taste. This remarkable city has many attractions that make it famous among Turkish towns. Every year, many travelers from all over the world choose Ankara as their travel destination. This city is popular and well-known among tourists because of its many tourist attractions and the potential for hosting travelers worldwide.
Top 15 attractions of Ankara city
If you, like me, are wondering about the most popular attractions of Ankara, then you should keep reading. We’ve made a pocket list of Ankara attractions you must visit on your trip to this glamorous city.
- Anitkabir
- Atakule
- Museum of Anatolian Civilizations
- Eymir Lake
- Ankara Castle
- Genclik Park
- Rahmi M. Koc Museum Ankara
- Hattusa
- Roman Baths of Ankara
- Temple of Augustus
- War of Independence Museum
- Hamamonu Restored the area
- Altinkoy open-air museum
- Haci Bayram Mosque
- Kocatepe Mosque
Anitkabir
Anitkabir is an important historical site and one of the must-visit attractions in Ankara. It is a mausoleum where Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the leader of Turkey’s independence and its first president, is buried. This place is a museum and a historic site with charming architecture. The Republic of Tukey’s government started building this place in 1944, which took about nine years.
Antikabir has four main sections. The second section is called the Road of Lions, a long walkway for visitors to enjoy. If you get lucky, you can watch Turkish troops marching. The second section is a peace park, a green space filled with trees and flowers. The other regions are the ceremonial plaza and the hall of honor, where you can find Ataturk’s sepulcher.
Atakule
One of the city’s most fantastic attractions is the Atakule Tower, which is also one of its prominent landmarks. This fascinating building is a communications and observation tower, one of Ankara’s symbols. It is 125 meters in height and is located in the Cankaya district of Ankara.
This stunning tower, inaugurated in 1986, provides a panoramic view of Ankara and can be seen anywhere in the city. It has remained a symbol of the town since then.
Museum of Anatolian Civilizations
The Museum of Anatolian Civilization is another spectacular attraction in Ankara. It is located in the city’s historical and old district, in the southern part of Ankara Castle. This museum showcases many specimens from the Paleolithic age to the Ottoman Empire. It holds many treasures linked to the history and heritage of Ankara city.
This museum teaches you so much about the history and culture of Turkey, Ankara, and Anatoly. If you are wondering where the roots of this city’s rich heritage are, you must visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations.
Eymir Lake
One of Ankara’s picturesque and pristine attractions is the Eymir Lake. This lake is 20 kilometers outside the city and has a pleasant nature and a peaceful space for a relaxing evening. Local people and tourists visit this landscape for running, biking, or picnics.
There are some restaurants around Eymir Lake where you can enjoy a pleasant meal with your friends and family. If you are looking for a place to take your mind off the daily problems or meditate and relax, you can come to Eymir Lake for an excursion.
Ankara castle (Ankara Kalesi)
Ankara Castle is another attraction we chose from the top 10 attractions in Ankara. If you are a history enthusiast and, after exploring the museums and historical places in Ankara, are eager to learn more about the history of this land and have a closer experience with it, you should visit Ankara Castle.
This castle was used as a fortress. Although the construction date of the Ankara castle is not precise, its oldest fortifications date back to the 8th century.
As you may already know, Ankara is a modern city, but Ankara Castle reminds you of its old days. Climbing the hills of Ankara Castle is not easy, but you can be sure that after climbing to the top of the castle, you will see a spectacular view of Ankara city that will ease the hard work of climbing.
Genclik Park
One of Ankara’s most fantastic attractions is Genclik Park, an outdoor park with the most significant green space in the city. Despite the green space covering most of Genclik’s land, some of Turkey’s most incredible amusement parks are in this place, with water fountains and creative architecture. There is also a swimming pool and a boating area in this park.
Local people and tourists come to this park to vacation and have a good time. There are many recreational activities in this park, and there is ample space for relaxing and meditating.
Rahmi M. Koc Museum Ankara
Rahmi M. Koc Museum is one of the most exciting attractions in Ankara. It educates and entertains visitors. The museum mainly focuses on technology and the history of technological changes in Ankara and Turkey. There’s a more famous and popular branch of this museum in Istanbul.
Rahmi M. Koc Museum showcases many specimens of Turkey’s communication and transfer technologies throughout the centuries. Make sure you visit this fascinating museum on your trip to Ankara.
Hattusa
Hattusa is a historic site and a city full of ruins from the Hittite Empire. It is also one of the best attractions in Ankara. Hattusa was the capital of the Hittite empire at its time, full of rock relics that had remained from the Hittite time. The Hittite Empire was one of the greatest empires in the world and one of the first civilizations in India and Europe.
You must visit the Hattusa region to learn more about Anatoly and Turkey’s history. Hattusa is located in the Anatolian region of Ankara. It is also one of the rare places in Ankara that has been registered and added to the UNESCO list.
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Hattusa
Roman Baths of Ankara
The Roman baths of Ankara, commonly known as the baths of Caracalla, are one of the city’s less-known and unexplored historic sites. We highly recommend visiting them if you are a risky traveler and curious to explore the less popular places in a town.
The Roman baths of Ankara were built in the third century and have three distinct zones: hot, warm, and cold. The tub was open for business and provided services until the eighth century.
Temple of Augustus
The Temple of Augustus is another must-visit attraction in Ankara and one of the oldest buildings in the city. It has remained since the first century and belonged to Augustus, the former Roman emperor.
The Temple of Augustus’s walls are rife with Latin and Greek inscriptions written by Augustus, narrating the story of his wars and conquests. This striking building is one of the most important remains of the Roman Empire.
War of Independence Museum
The War of Independence Museum is one of the best attractions in Ankara and a great representative of modern Turkey’s War of Independence. The building was the first Turkish Grand National Assembly, and it plays an essential role in the political history of modern Turkey.
Despite the history and story behind the War of Independence Museum building, this museum has a fascinating collection of photographs, historical documents, statues of public figures, etc., that tell about the War of Independence.
Hamamonu Restored area
Hamamonu Resorted is a historic neighborhood in Ankara and one of the city’s spectacular attractions. Strolling in the Hamamonu neighborhood, you can travel back in time to the Ottoman Empire.
Walking in Hamamonu’s resorted area allows you to get a closer look at the culture and beauty of Turkish lifestyle and architecture. There are also several museums and historic mosques in this region.
Altinkoy open-air museum
Altinkoy open-air museum is one of the most interesting museums in Ankara and one of its top attractions. It is an outdoor museum and the perfect place for tourists eager to learn about the lifestyle of Turkish people in the previous century.
Altinkoy is a landscape built to resemble a typical Turkish village and reflect their lifestyle. Foreign visitors, especially non-Middle Eastern travelers, find this outdoor museum interesting.
Haci Bayram Mosque
Haci Bayram mosque is built in honor of a founder of Sufism and is one of the most famous mosques in Ankara. This mosque was built in the 15th century for the first time and restored in the 16th century. The last restoration happened in 2011.
Colorful tiles, wooden roofs, green bricks, and all of the other specifications of interior design and architecture of this mosque remind you of Ottoman-style architecture. Haci Bayram Mosque is located in the Ulus neighborhood and is easily accessible.
Kocatepe Mosque
Kocatepe Mosque is one of the most interesting landmarks in Ankara city. Construction started in 1967, and the mosque was inaugurated in 1987.
You can see the minarets of Kocatepe Mosque from almost every spot in Ankara city. There are only a few mosques worldwide with this fantastic architecture. Kocatepe is the largest mosque in Ankara, where more than 24 thousand prayers can be said simultaneously.
Final words about the top 10 attractions of Ankara
Ankara is the second most important city and the capital of Turkey. It has so many attractions and scenery that you need more than a day to explore them, even a week. In this article, we named the top 10 attractions of Ankara and wrote a short profile about them. We hope it will help you when planning a trip to the charming city of Turkey, Ankara.
