Ankara

Understand

thumb | 300px | Hall of Honor at Anıtkabir Until 1923, Ankara was a provincial town of less than 30,000. Then Atatürk made it the capital of the new Republic of Turkey, a deliberate shift from the Ottoman capital of Istanbul with its literally Byzantine political life. The plateau was swiftly covered by drab concrete buildings and snarled highways, leavened by parks and woodlands, and occasional striking architecture. Although it never wrested the cultural crown from Istanbul, Ankara has a rich heritage in its museums, galleries and mosques, and tourists who just transit on the way to Cappadocia are missing an important chapter in the story of Turkey and Asia Minor.

The city was already old when the ancient Greeks called it "the anchor", Аγκυρα, which to a sea-faring people indicated a base or home. Hattian, Hittite, Lydian, Phrygian and Galatian civilisations had risen and fallen before them; Persians, Romans and Byzantines were yet to come. In 1402, Timur - the Tamburlaine of legend - stormed all the way from Kabul and won a battle that almost extinguished the Ottoman dynasty, but didn't stay to consolidate. So it was an Ottoman city and province for the next 500 years, giving the name "Angora" to long-haired cats, goats, rabbits and mohair textiles. Other European powers meddled in local affairs but concentrated on Istanbul, especially after Turkey was defeated in the First World War, and Greece was awarded much Turkish territory and tried to seize more. Atatürk rallied…

Get around

thumb | An EGO bus |200x200px The city has a dense bus network, a two-line Metro, and an east-west suburban railway called Başkentray. There is no provision by any mode of public transport for travellers with restricted mobility. EGO (or toplu taşıma) is the municipality public transportation company.

Do

thumb | The Opera House thumb | Seğmenler Park Ankara International Music Festival is in April. Bilkent Mayfest is organised by Billkent University . Burn Sonance Festival of music is next held June. Jazz Festival is in Oct / Nov. Ankara Film Festival is next held on Nov. Şefika Kutluer Festival of music is in December.

Buy

thumb|Armada Useful to know: AVM stands for Alışveriş Merkezi, shopping centre. Citadel approaches up Kale Kapısı Sk have been a merchandising area for centuries. There are lots of tourist-trappy outlets for carpets, leather and fake antiquities. At least you hope they're fake, because if genuine it's illegal to export them.

Eat

thumb|Traditional Ottoman houses in Hamamönü Ankara has a variety of local/traditional and international food restaurants such as Asian, French, Italian, Persian and Somalian cuisine throughout the city.

Sleep

thumb | Windmill at Altınköy Open Air Museum Accommodation is clustered in Ulus north of the railway station, in Sıhhiye south of the tracks, and in Kızılay further south. A strip of mid-range business hotels follows D200 a few km west - these are more convenient for the bus station.

Stay safe

Ankara is generally safe, even for single females at night, since as the capital it's well-policed. (The cops are looking for traffic offences, dissident trouble-makers and squaddies in town without a liberty pass.) Take usual care of valuables. The main hazard is traffic - vehicles are driven at silly speeds with scant regard to traffic lights and pedestrians. The side walks are often in poor condition: anyone with restricted mobility will be forced onto the roadway, and on ill-lit streets at night you risk falling into uncovered drains.

For emergencies call the emergency number 112 or approach any officer or go to the nearest station. Ankara nominally has a tourist police section with multilingual staff, based at AŞTİ bus station. The covid slump in tourism saw them redeployed to other duties, but perhaps staffing will resume as tourism and related incidents increase.

Connect

Ankara has 4G from all Turkish carriers. As of Jan 2024, 5G has not rolled out in Turkey.

Go next

Northwest, Highway D140 follows an ancient trade and pilgrimage route from Baghdad to Ankara and Constantinople. Towns along it westbound are Ayaş, Beypazarı, Çayırhan and Nallıhan. Kızılcahamam 80 km north has thermal springs amid forests — bears and wolves lurk in Soğuksu National Park. Boğazkale northeast is the hub for visiting ancient Hattuşa, the capital of Hittites. Çağırkan Japanese Gardens are 10 km past Kaman on the road southeast to Kırşehir. South you pass Tuz Gölü ("Salt Lake") on the road to Aksaray. Aksaray is a laid-back city and great base for the attractions near Güzelyurt. Haymana 80 km southwest is a down-at-heel spa town with hot springs. Gavurkale and Kulhoyuk nearby have rock friezes and Hittite burial grounds. Gordion (Yassıhöyük) is 96 km west, near Polatlı off the highway to Eskişehir. One of the most important ancient cities in Turkey, it had been home for Hittites, Phyrigians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans since 3000 BC. The remnants of the city are displayed in Gordion Museum and Anatolian Civilizations Museum in Ulus.