There’s not much doubt that, when it comes to glamour and an international reputation for luxury, Turkey’s capital of Ankara tends to have to live somewhat in the shadow of the rather more famous Istanbul. This though, is a pity, as Ankara has unique charms of its own.

The origin

Ankara is an ancient city and, as for much of Turkey, has been occupied or ruled by many different peoples down the centuries. Many of the great civilisations of Europe or the Middle East have passed this way, including the Hittites, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Turks and Mongols. It was known for many centuries, in Europe, as ‘Angora’ and is the origin of angora wool, cats, goats and rabbits.

Although a vast and influential city during parts of classical and early medieval history, by the start of the 20th century it had declined to something of a moderately sized backwater town of Ottoman Turkey. By the early 1920s, Turkey was making the transition from the Ottoman Empire to the modern Republic it is today and Ankara was chosen as its new capital, replacing Istanbul (Constantinople) in the process. The reasons for this relate to the politics of time and Istanbul’s powerful associations with the old Ottoman regime, however, it was a very big boost to the city, which started its growth to the major metropolis of today.

Historical Turkey

As you might expect given 5000 years of history, there are many things to see in this great city.

A traditional place to start is the citadel – the most ancient part of the city dating back to well before the Romans. There is a great selection of ancient architecture and traditional Turkish housing and you’ll also find some fine restaurants serving local dishes.

The ‘Temple of Augustus and Rome’ is another ‘must’ if you enjoy ancient history. The emperor Augustus is interesting for many reasons, not the least of which is that prior to his death he wrote his own form of ‘autobiography’ (called the ‘Res Gestae’) in which he gives a very romanticised and highly sanitised list of his lifetime’s achievements – the best intact ‘in situ’ copy of this is inscribed in this temple.

It is worth making the effort to see the Roman baths, theatre, and the column of Julian. There are also several beautiful and historically interesting mosques, of which the largest (and surprisingly most recent, dating to the 1980s) is the Kocatepe Mosque, which is exceptionally beautiful and built in the Ottoman style.

It would also be a tragedy to miss The Museum of The Anatolian Civilisations. They have a fantastic range of exhibits covering many different civilisations over thousands of years. If you love history and archaeology, this will be for you.

Fun-loving Turkey