Ankara can be explored through different layers of time: its museums trace the history of Anatolia and the Republic, the citadel tells of an earlier phase of the city, and its architectural heritage presents Ankara as a modern capital. This variety offers different points of focus as you plan your trip, without requiring you to follow a set itinerary.
Museums: from early cultures to the Republic
The collections in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations are arranged chronologically. The sequence spans the Paleolithic, Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Ages, the period of the Assyrian trading colonies, the early Hittites and the Hittite Empire. These are followed by the Phrygian and Late Hittite kingdoms, the Urartian Kingdom, and the history of Ankara and classical antiquity. The chronological arrangement gives an overview of successive eras rather than presenting the finds as separate themes side by side.
The museum is housed in the historic Ottoman buildings of Mahmutpaşa Bedesten and Kurşunlu Han. Virtual tours and reconstructions complement the collections. A museum visit thus brings together a chronological perspective, historic buildings and digital interpretation.
The Ankara Ethnography Museum focuses on a different subject: it displays artifacts from Anatolia’s Turkish-Islamic era. The battles of Çanakkale, Sakarya, the Great Offensive and the Battle of the Commander-in-Chief take center stage at the Atatürk and War of Independence Museum in Anıtkabir. Different exhibition techniques also present the founding years of the Republic of Türkiye and the Atatürk era. This allows you to distinguish between archaeological chronology, ethnographic collections and the history of the Republic.
The citadel and the architecture of the capital
The inner citadel of Ankara was built by the Byzantines in the 7th century and has 42 towers. Its inhabited area includes old Ankara houses dating from after the 17th century, the Alaaddin Mosque, which dates back to the 12th century, as well as historic fountains and shops. These features give the citadel area its own historical depth: buildings and institutions from different eras stand side by side here.
The development of Ankara into a modern capital offers another perspective. The UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List describes the city’s architectural development from the 1920s to the 1970s as an outstanding example of planning a modern 20th-century capital. The modernist urban fabric and the architectural heritage of the new Republic continue to shape Ankara’s identity. These include preserved public buildings, as well as public parks and squares in the districts of Ulus and Kızılay and along Atatürk Boulevard. The city’s older citadel history and the planning of the capital thus offer different, complementary ways of exploring Ankara.
More highlights for your stay
Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Republic of Türkiye, is in the city center and is recommended as an ideal starting point for sightseeing. The Hacı Bayram Veli Mosque is located at Augustus Square in Ankara. Both places offer their own points of orientation, without being linked here into a route.
If you are interested in restoration and urban development, the Ankara Miras construction site tours offer expert guidance and information about the city’s history as they take you through work areas at the Ankara Roman Theatre, the Arkeopark Ankara project and the urban improvement project in the citadel. Dates and registration options may change; check them before making plans.
Opened in 2025, Ankara Nature Park and Zoo features modern animal enclosures and animal-friendly habitats. More than 50 animal species include red deer, greater flamingos, macaws, zebras and green vervet monkeys; animal populations may change. As a culinary highlight, Ankara simit is one of the city’s best-known specialties.
Discover more destinations: İstasyon Mh., Haymana, Pursaklar, Beypazarı, Çayırhan, Gölbaşı, Şereflikoçhisar, Akkaya.
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