Best things to do in Ankara

Set out on a journey through Anatolia's history, starting from the Paleolithic Age and ending with the present day at Anadolu Medeniyetleri Muzesi. Housed in a restored 15th-century Ottoman bazaar, the museum features over 200,000 artifacts, a portion of which are exhibited in chronological order. See the deer-shaped statuettes from the Early Bronze Age, Neolithic wall paintings, Paleolithic stone and bone tools, İznik pottery, and what is reputedly the world's most extensive collection of Hittite artifacts. Stop to have lunch in the historical setting of the nearby citadel or in one of several restaurants on the hill.

Anıtkabir is the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the leader of the Turkish War of Independence and the founder and the first President of the Republic of Turkey. It is located in Ankara and was designed by architects Professor Emin Onat and Assistant Professor Ahmet Orhan Arda, whose proposal beat 48 other entries from several countries in a competition held by the Turkish Government in 1941 for a monument for Atatürk.

The site is also the final resting place of İsmet İnönü, the second President of Turkey, who was interred there after he died in 1973. His tomb faces the Atatürk Mausoleum, on the opposite side of the Ceremonial Ground.

The mausoleum was depicted on various Turkish banknotes during 1966–1987 and 1997–2009 and was included in the Turkish Chamber of Civil Engineers list of the fifty civil engineering feats in Turkey, a list of remarkable engineering projects realized in the first 50 years of the chamber.

Sitting on top of a hill above the city, Ankara Castle dominates the scenery with its 14-16 m (46-53 ft) high Byzantine walls. Dating back some 3,000 years, the complex still swarms with activity today and boasts ruins and centuries-old monuments. Here you can see mosques from the 12th century and ancient marble sarcophagi on one side of the road, and order a meal on the other. See homes of the locals that preserve the classical architectural style. Not only are the buildings authentic, but the lifestyle here hasn't changed much; domestic animals walk around backyards and people still beat skeins of wool on the roads.

Hacı Bayram Veli Camii is a mosque in old Ankara. Along with Kocatepe Mosque it is one of the best known mosques in Ankara. Hacı Bayram Mosque was built during the Ottoman Empire period. It was named after the Turkish Sufi and poet Hacı Bayram-ı Veli on behalf of the latter. Hacı Bayram Mosque is one of the touristic places of Ankara. The site was added in 2016 to the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Turkey.

The Kocatepe Mosque (Turkish: Kocatepe Camii) is the largest mosque in Ankara, Turkey. It was built between 1967 and 1987 in the Kocatepe quarter in Kızılay, and its size and prominent situation have made it a landmark that can be seen from almost anywhere in central Ankara.

The Ulucanlar Prison Museum (Turkish: Ulucanlar Cezaevi Müzesi) is a former state prison in Ankara, Turkey that was converted into a prison museum following restoration by Altındağ Municipality. The museum was opened in 2011. It is the first museum of its kind in Turkey.