Museums of Anatolian Civilations

The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations is located in the At Pazarı district, near the southeastern outer wall of Ankara Castle. It consists of two restored Ottoman-era buildings that have been repurposed for museum use. The Mahmut Pasha Bazaar is believed to have been built between 1464 and 1471 by Mahmut Pasha, the grand vizier of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. The Kurşunlu Han was commissioned by another grand vizier of the same era, Mehmet Pasha, as a foundation (vakıf) to support his charitable complex in the Üsküdar district of Istanbul. Both structures were abandoned following a fire in 1881, but were later restored over many years upon the request of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in order to exhibit artifacts collected from across Anatolia. The museum officially opened in 1921. Today, the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations is recognized as one of the leading museums in the world, with its rich and unique collections. Artifacts ranging from the Paleolithic Age to the Ottoman Period are exhibited in chronological order. On April 19, 1997, the museum was awarded the title of “Museum of the Year” in Lausanne, Switzerland, ranking first among 68 museums from various countries.

Museum of Etnography

The Museum of Ethnography holds the distinction of being the first building in Türkiye constructed specifically to serve as a museum. It was opened to the public on July 18, 1930, with artifacts collected from local communities. Following the passing of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1938, the museum’s inner courtyard served as his temporary resting place for 15 years. The museum is dedicated to exhibiting artifacts from the Turkish-Islamic period of Anatolia. Its halls feature displays on traditional clothing, embroidery, jewelry, and cultural practices such as henna night and the groom’s ceremonial shaving. The museum also showcases elements of hamam (Turkish bath) culture. In addition, visitors can explore regional examples of Anatolian carpets and kilims, metalwork, copperware tools and utensils, exhibits themed around Turkish coffee culture, traditional spoons, a reconstructed Turkish room, and ceremonial items related to circumcision rituals. The museum also houses fine examples of Turkish tiles, ceramics, glassware, weaponry, calligraphic panels, and rare wooden artifacts from the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. A special exhibition room is dedicated to the Besim Atalay Collection, presenting selected pieces from his personal archive.

Roman Baths Open-Air Museum

"The Roman Baths stand along Çankırı Street, which stretches from Ulus Square to Yıldırım Beyazıt Square. Today, the area is preserved as one of Ankara’s most significant Roman-period archaeological sites, accessible to visitors as both an open-air museum and a heritage ruins zone. The complex consists of two main structural components: the gymnasium (palaestra) and the bathing complex. The gymnasium is a monumental, nearly square-planned courtyard, framed on all four sides by columned porticoes (revak / colonnaded galleries). The cold room (frigidarium), warm room (tepidarium), and hot room (caldarium) are attached to the gymnasium as a unified architectural mass, reflecting a holistic spatial design. The complex was conceived as an imperial-era public monument, incorporating courtyards, a furnace area (külhan), hypocaust heating systems, water reservoirs, and service and workshop sections. The primary remains visible today include the lower hypocaust levels and service infrastructure. Archaeological finds recovered through excavations—such as coins, inscriptions, relief fragments, and Corinthian capitals—indicate that the complex was built during the reign of Emperor Caracalla (AD 211–217). The baths were later repaired and continued to be in use during the Byzantine period, as confirmed by archaeological evidence. Since 2020, conservation and partial restoration work has improved structural safety and the overall visitor experience, enhancing the site’s legibility and accessibility. The gymnasium section of the Roman Baths continues to display a rich outdoor collection of inscriptions gathered from Roman-era Ancyra (ancient Ankara), making it one of the most important epigraphic open-air exhibits in the city. The site lies within the historical heart of Ulus and remains a key node along Ankara’s cultural pedestrian routes."

Museums of Republic

The building was designed and constructed in 1923 by architect Vedat Tek as the meeting hall for the Republican People’s Party. However, when the First Turkish Grand National Assembly building proved insufficient to meet the growing needs, the function of this building was changed and it was repurposed as the new assembly hall. On October 18, 1924, it officially began serving as the Second Turkish Grand National Assembly building. The museum features rooms displaying personal belongings of Türkiye’s first three Presidents -Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Mustafa İsmet İnönü, and Mahmut Celal Bayarwho collectively served for a period of 36 years. Reflecting the architectural characteristics of its era, the building showcases Seljuk and Ottoman ornamental motifs in its wooden ceiling decorations, arches, eaves, and tiles. Following extensive restoration and renovation, the front section of the building was reorganized and opened to the public as a museum on October 30, 1981.

Gökyay Foundation Chess Museum

Founded in 2015 by Akın Gökyay, the Gökyay Foundation Chess Museum is Türkiye’s first and the world’s largest chess museum, dedicated to showcasing contemporary chess sets. The museum displays 706 chess sets from 110 countries, organized under four main themes: Design, Children, War and Peace, and Countries and Civilizations. The collection reflects historical and cultural narratives from around the world—from the Gallipoli Campaign to the 9/11 Attacks, from Roman-Egyptian wars to Napoleon’s campaigns, and from the vibrant traditions of India to the mystical world of the Far East. Each set offers a unique artistic interpretation rooted in the heritage of its country of origin.

Tapduk Emre Mausoleum

In the village of Emrem Sultan, there is the tomb of Tapduk Emre, the spiritual guide of Yunus Emre. The tomb is a large, square-plan, domed, stone structure. It was built using rubble stone, brick, and recycled stone. Inside are graves said to belong to Tapduk Emre and his relatives. To the west of the tomb, there is another rectangular-plan tomb with a roof, containing three graves. The Sakarya River flows 2 km south of the tombs.

Presidentıal Nation's Library

The Presidential Nation’s Library of Türkiye was initiated under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in 2015 and was officially inaugurated on February 20, 2020. Covering an area of 125,000 m² with a seating capacity of 5,500, the library provides access to more than 5 million printed works in 134 languages, along with over 9 million electronic resources. In addition, through 233 databases, users can reach more than 300 million articles, reports, and publications. Since 2020, the library has also provided access to the digitized collections of the Directorate of State Archives, making a total of more than 141 million resources available to researchers. With this extensive collection, the Nation’s Library stands among the world’s leading libraries.

Museum of Artillery and Missile Class School

The museum is organized into three main sections: the museum garden, the exhibition hall, and the Hall of Honor. In the garden, visitors encounter a rich collection spanning from the 16th century to the present day. Over 70 cannons, howitzers, and mortars from the Ottoman, Turkish, Mamluk, Russian, German, French, Austrian, Belgian, Swedish, and American armies are on display. Crafted from iron, wrought iron, bronze, and steel, these pieces showcase the historical evolution of military technology across different eras and armies. Inside the museum, the exhibition hall features artillery uniforms, weapons, and surveying and cartography tools used by artillery units in the past. The collection also includes cutting and piercing weapons, swords, daggers, armors, and helmets dating from the 15th to 19th centuries. Additionally, Ottoman and Greek maps and battle plans from World War I and the Turkish War of Independence provide visitors with detailed insights into historic military operations. The museum offers a comprehensive experience for visitors interested in military heritage, the evolution of warfare technology, and the significance of historical documents.

Ankara Houses

Houses located in the old settlements of the city, particularly the inner walls of the castle, are called Ankara houses. A handful of these houses are still preserved. They are Ankara houses from the 17th- 18th-19th centuries; two-floored houses built mostly of wood and mudbrick. On the ground floor, there were rooms for servants while the landlord lived on the second floor. Ankara houses generally have a stairway attached to the outer wall that climbs up to a terrace called seyregah or seyrengah. This terrace is open on all sides but is sheltered with a roof. Seyregah and windows of the house are vents to the street. Guest rooms, meeting rooms and bedrooms are located on the second floor. Ceilings, ceiling roses, doors and other sections of houses are decorated with geometrical, rumi and hatai motifs. Several such houses are used for touristic purposes nowadays. Examples of Ankara houses are found in Hamamönü, which is in the old town of Altındağ. Nearby towns like Ayaş, Beypazarı and Güdül are also home to traditional houses. Around the bazaar area located at the bottom of the valley and in valley slopes up north, traditional houses of Ayaş maintain their organic forms, resembling typical Turkish houses regarding their architecture. The two-floored Ayaş houses, partly built of stone and partly of wood, include a stable, a cellar and rooms for servants (in wealthy houses) on the ground floor. On the second floor, which is the main living space, there is the kitchen, the bath and two (or three) rooms on both sides of the anteroom. All the ceilings are made of wood. In the exterior of the building, there are wooden bay windows called ‘cumba’ and wooden-caged windows. In the town centre of Güdül, historic houses that have the characteristics of Turkish houses are still standing today in the archaeological urban site. The old quarter of the town of Beypazarı, which is founded on steep slopes and valleys, is a place of settlement that offers a historic and visual feast with its rich landscape and unique texture of old houses and bazaars. The hundred-year-old houses of Beypazarı have the typical aspects of Ottoman and traditional Turkish houses. These are two or three floored houses with cumbas (bay windows) and attics called ‘kuşkana’. The houses are wooden structures on stone foundations with plastered walls and tiled roofs. There are rooms for servants and a cellar on the ground floor. On the second floor, there is the kitchen, the bath and the rooms on both sides of the rectangular or square anteroom.

Turkish Natıional Botanic Garden Agriculture and Biodiversity Museum

Turkish National Botanic Garden Agriculture and Biodiversity Museum is a unique museum that brings together the heritage of agricultural education from the Ottoman era to the Republic and Türkiye’s rich flora and fauna diversity with its visitors. The collection, gathered through the initiatives of the Turkish National Botanical Garden, is presented with scientific and cultural expertise in this museum, which was established under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. The museum’s main themes include the history of agriculture from Göbeklitepe to the present day, agricultural education from the Ottoman period to the Republic, and the country’s biodiversity. The structure consists of three main sections: the Temporary Exhibition Section, the Permanent Exhibition Section, and the Workshop-Storage area, attracting attention not only with its scientific content but also with an aesthetic and experience-focused exhibition approach. Turkish National Botanic Garden Agriculture and Biodiversity Museum is an original space for learning and discovery that carries the awareness of agriculture and nature from the past into the future.

TRT Museum of Broadcasting History

Various educational and promotional films explaining the basic elements of publishing, along with the research library within the museum, demonstrate that the museum is not only a place for visits but also a versatile space offering learning opportunities. The museum is located within the premises of the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) General Directorate.

Nasuh Pasha Mosque

Located on a slope running from north to south, the mosque was built in 1685 AD (1096 AH), according to the inscription above its entrance gate. Some sources mention that this inscription is a restoration inscription and that the mosque was built together with the Suluhan, completed by Grand Vizier Nasuh Pasha in 1613. It has a nearly square rectangular plan. The three-eyed rear prayer area is covered with domes. The harim is covered with a dome approximately 12 m in diameter, resting on an octagonal drum. A single-balconied minaret rises at the northwest corner. The mihrab is made using plaster molding techniques and is decorated with Rumi-style borders, rosebud and wheel motifs. The crown section is formed in the shape of a palmette series. It was restored in 2008.