Visits to Ankara, Turkey, should be planned with the understanding that the city is home to much more than a modern metropolis. Ankara’s prominence can be attributed in large part to the city’s many museums and historical sites.
Ankara, the capital of Turkey, is worth seeking out even if you’re only visiting Turkey for a few days. Ankara, the capital of Turkey, is not always included in tours of the country because it is not seen as a top attraction.
Even if you aren’t interested in local history, the museums and ancient sites in this city will still surprise you, and they may even pique your curiosity enough to make you want to learn more about the Romans and ancient Anatolians.
Tourists visiting Turkey should make the time to stop in Ankara since it is much more than just a trendy metropolis. Then, when we think back on our time in Turkey, we won’t just remember the well-known tourist spots that we saw on Instagram, but rather, we’ll think back on the trip that introduced us to a more understated, but no less stunning, side of the nation.
Museums and Mausoleums
Located on the south side of the Ankara Castle, which dates back to the eighth century BC, the Anatolian Civilizations Museum could be the primary reason for a trip to Ankara. Incredible antiquities, some dating back to 8000 BC and unearthed in the Catalhoyuk town in South Anatolia, can be found in this museum.
Paintings on the walls and sculptures fill the museum, which houses a collection spanning thousands of years. Jewelry, decorative pots, coins, and statues from the Assyrian trade colonies all the way through to the Byzantine period complete the museum’s collections, which tell the overarching tale of each era.
The building housing the museum has been around since 1200 BC. The Mausoleum of Ataturk, or Anitkabir, is a major tourist attraction in Turkey’s capital city of Ankara. Many people consider Ataturk to be Turkey’s progenitor.
The monument, which required an incredible amount of marble, houses a museum dedicated to the Turkish War of Independence and the establishment of modern Turkey. The monument’s elevated location affords sightseers magnificent panoramas of the capital city of Ankara. If you’re visiting the nation’s capital for the first time, this might be a good place to start your sightseeing adventures.
To explore the history in Turkey, you must need a Turkey tourist visa. For that, you can submit a Turkey visa application online.
Walk the Castle’s Perimeter Wall
Kale is a small town in the Denizli region of Western Anatolia that was under Byzantine administration until the 12th century. As a neighborhood, Kale is rather lovely. The town is famous for its peppers, and every year the citizens celebrate the harvest with a festival called the Pepper Harvest Festival.
To Ankara’s already unique and odd mix of things to do, a hamlet constructed around centuries-old structures and its own pepper festival have been added.
There are Byzantine relics to be observed in this area, as well as cobblestone walkways and alleyways and many recently restored buildings. If you take a trip through Parmak Kapisi, you’ll find a wide variety of unique souvenir shops selling regional handicrafts, as well as antique shops and eateries.
Relics From the Roman Era
One of the most famous Roman-era remains in the city is the Temple of Augustus and Rome. It was built between 20 and 25 AD, during the reign of Roman Emperor Octavion Augustus, who is credited with extending Roman control into Central Anatolia. A Roman gateway and two walls may be all that remains of the building, yet it still manages to emanate an enticing aura that effectively expresses its history.
There are still Latin and Greek inscriptions on the walls that tell of Augustus’s victories and glory that may be read now. These inscriptions were added to several Roman temples during Augustus’ reign.
The temple is a great place to go if you’re into history, but even if you’re just traveling through the city, it might be worth your while to stop by and check it out if only for a few minutes.
In recent years, the Roman Baths of Ankara, another historical remnant from the Roman era, have been repaired and opened to the public as an outdoor museum. From 1937 to 1944, archaeologists uncovered the ruins of a large bath complex, which is now recognized as one of the best-preserved buildings from its era.
During the third century AD, while the city was still called Ancyra, Emperor Caracalla built a facility in accordance with Roman customs for constructing Thermae, which was a hybrid public-private bathing facility.
If you are not sure whether your Turkish visa application will be accepted or not, you should check this Turkey visa eligibility criteria.
A performance at the Ankara Opera House
There are three venues for opera performances in Ankara, Turkey, with the Ankara Opera House being the largest. In addition, the Turkish state theatre use it as a performance venue.
Local festivals, classical concerts, and musical evenings are held here, and so are performances by the Turkish State Ballet, Turkish State Opera, and the Turkish State Theatre. This is the sort of thing that would make a trip to the city even more memorable.
If the only part of Turkey you’ve considered visiting is Istanbul, you’re missing out on a beautiful city with a wide variety of attractions that can be seen in a short amount of time.
