Sights in Ankara
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Anıt Kabir
Even if you've never taken much interest in the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's monumental mausoleum, the Anıt Kabir, is well worth a look to try and grasp just how much sway the man held over his adoring republic.
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Rahmi M Koç Industrial Museum
In the old Çengelhan the new Rahmi M Koç Industrial Museum is perfect for kids (and adults) who prefer a hands-on approach to staring at a bunch of pots behind glass, and has slightly less emphasis on transport than its original branch in İstanbul .
Walk straight ahead once you've entered the gate and you'll see, on your left, the citadel mosque, the Alaettin Camii, which dates from the 12th century but has been extensively rebuilt.
To your right a steep road leads to a flight of stairs taking you up to the Şark Kulesi (Eastern Tower), with panoramic city views. Although it's much harder to find, the tower at the north, Ak Kale (White Fort), also offers fine views. If …
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Museum of Anatolian Civilisations
Still proudly displaying its 1997 Best European Museum award, Ankara's superb Museum of Anatolian Civilisations is the perfect introduction to the complex weave of Turkey's chequered ancient past, housing artefacts cherrypicked from just about every significant archaeological site in Anatolia.
The museum is housed in a beautifully restored 15th-century bedesten (market vault). The 10-domed central marketplace houses reliefs and statuary, while the surrounding hall displays exhibits from the earlier Anatolian civilisations: Palaeolithic, Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Bronze Age, Assyrian, Hittite, Phrygian, Urartian and Lydian.The downstairs sections hold classical Greek and Ro…
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Ethnography Museum
South of Ulus, the Ethnography Museum is a real treasure. It's housed inside a white marble post-Ottoman building (1925) which once served as Atatürk's offices (hence the equestrian statue out the front). Around the walls are photographs of Atatürk's funeral, which illustrate a level of genuine national mourning seldom seen in Western cultures.
The museum contains wonderful collections of embroidery, porcelain (the İznik tiles are especially fine) and woodwork, including a stunning 13th-century mihrab (niche indicating the direction of Mecca) from Damsa, near Ürgüp. You'll be driven mad by the automatic lighting system and the lack of labelling, but the tableaux of a w…
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Hacı Bayram Camii
Ankara's most revered mosque is Hacı Bayram Camii, near the Temple of Augustus & Rome. Hacı Bayram Veli was a Muslim 'saint' who founded the Bayramiye dervish order around 1400. Ankara was the order's centre and Hacı Bayram Veli is still revered by pious Muslims. The mosque precincts are ringed with shops selling religious paraphernalia (including wooden toothbrushes as used, supposedly, by the Prophet Mohammed).
You can buy food to feed the pigeons in the nearby pigeon feeding area (Güvercin Yemleme Alanı).
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Roman Baths
Right on Cankırı Caddesi you'll discover the sprawling ruins of the 3rd-century Roman Baths, about 500m north of Ulus Meydanı. The layout of the baths and the system for heating them are clearly visible; look for the standard Roman facilities: an apoditerium (dressing room), frigidarium (cold room), tepidarium (warm room) and caldarium (hot room). Remains dating back to Phrygian times (8th to 6th centuries BC) have been found beneath the baths.
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Museum of The War of Independence
The Museum of The War of Independence is where the republican grand national assembly held its early sessions. Before it was Turkey's first parliament, the building was the Ankara headquarters of the Committee of Union & Progress, the party of 'Young Turks' that overthrew Sultan Abdül Hamit II in 1909 and attempted to bring democracy to the Ottoman Empire. Today you'll see photographs, documents and a throng of soldiers, here to learn about the campaigns.
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Open-Air Steam Locomotive Museum
The Open-Air Steam Locomotive Museum is a collection of slowly rusting vintage engines on the southwestern side of the station. To find it, descend the underpass as though you were going to the train platforms, but keep walking straight on. Just before entering the Tandoğan Kapalı Çarşı shopping area, climb the steps to your left, then turn right and continue for around 800m.
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Gençlik Parkı
Walk south from Ulus Meydanı along Atatürk Bulvarı and you'll soon reach the entrance to Gençlik Parkı, where Atatürk had a swamp converted into an artificial lake. The Luna Park funfair provides amusement for children and several pleasant çay bahçesi (tea gardens); single women should go for those with the word aile (family) in their name.
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Atakule
Down south in Çankaya is the Atakule, Ankara's landmark tower, with a revolving restaurant on top for 360° views of the city; making a reservation exempts you from the admission fee. A glass lift - not for the faint-hearted - whisks you to the top. There is also a cinema here. Get here from Ulus or Kızılay on any Çankaya-bound bus.
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Republic Museum
The Republic Museum was the second headquarters of the grand national assembly, and its early history appears in photographs and documents. The captions are in Turkish but you don't need to read anything to get a sense of the republic's modest beginnings. The assembly itself is now housed in a rather more imposing building in Bakanlıklar.
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Kocatepe Camii
The outline of the huge Kocatepe Camii in Kızılay is now the symbol of Ankara. It may be one of the largest mosques in the world but it is also very new. However, Ankara does still have one or two older mosques, and the relics in the Ethnography Museums are poignant reminders of others that have long since disappeared.
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Railway Museum & Art Gallery
While waiting for a train at Ankara station you may want to take a look at the Railway Museum & Art Gallery, a small building on platform one that served as Atatürk's residence during the War of Independence. Right beside it is Atatürk's private rail coach, a gift from one Adolf Hitler.
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Şengül Merkez Hamamı
If you're staying in Opera Meydanı and your bathroom isn't up to much, never fear because there are several hamams (bathhouses) in the streets immediately east of the square. The best is Şengül Merkez Hamamı .
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Aquapark Club Watercity
Further out of town in Gölbaşı, Aquapark Club Watercity has a range of outdoor, indoor and children's pools, sports facilities, water slides and restaurants. Dolmuşes run here from Opera Meydanı.
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Painting & Sculpture Museum
The Painting & Sculpture Museum occupies an equally elaborate building and showcases mainly modern and contemporary Turkish works.
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Kuğulu Parkı
One of the oases in an often wearing city is Kuğulu Parkı, at the southern end of Tunalı Hilmi Caddesi.
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Botanik Park
The Botanik Parkı, which spills into a valley beneath the Atakule in Çankaya, is an oasis in the city.
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