When Ataturk died on November 10 1938 in Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, his body was brought to Ankara amidst the tears of the Turkish nation, and temporarily placed in the Ethnographic Museum. Later the idea arose of having a mausoleum built to house his body. The Turkish Grand National Assembly passed a resolution to this effect. A commission of artistic and scientific experts was established, and given the task of organizing the construction. After much study, the commission chose the hill of Rasattepe, which commanded a view of Ankara, as the site for the mausoleum. An international competition was organized to choose a design for the building. Prof. Emin Onat and Orhan Arda won it. Construction began in 1944. The building represents Turkish history, in particular the Liberation War, and the great military, revolutionary and leadership qualities of Ataturk. After completion of the building, his body was removed from the Ethnographic Museum on November 10 1953. With a great ceremony, he was re-buried in the Mausoleum. In 1957 the administration of Ataturk's Mausoleum was turned over to the Ministry of National Education.
The Mausoleum now covers a large area known as Mausoleum Hill. Gardens and parks surround the building, which is reached by special roads. Leading to the Mausoleum is Lion Road, bordered on either side by 24 lion statues. To the right of the entrance is the Tower of Independence, and to the left, the Tower of Freedom. In front of the towers are two groups of statues depicting three men and three women, who represent the Turkish nation.
Lion Road leads to the large stone courtyard of the Mausoleum. To the right of the entrance is Mehmetcik Tower, and to the left Defense Law Tower. On the right is a colonnaded and vaulted section looking into the courtyard. The Mausoleum and the Guard Section is here. This section ends with Victory Tower. Between this tower and the Peace Tower, exactly opposite to the Hall of Honor where Ataturk's body lies, is another double row of columns. The section between the Peace Tower and the April 23 Tower to the right of the entrance, houses the administrative offices.
In the center of the Exit Gate is a 33 m. high bronze flagpole. Beyond the National Pact Tower is Ataturk Museum. From the museum you reach the Reform Tower where Ataturk's Library is located.
The Hall of Honor where Ataturk's tomb is situated is between the Reform Tower and the Republic Tower. On the right side of the white marble steps leading up to the entrance of the Hall of Honor is a bas-relief depicting all the wars and victories from Vienna to Sakarya. On the left is a bas-relief depicting the Baskumandan Meydan War. On the marble platform in the center of the steps is an inscription recording the basic principle of Turkish democracy, "The nation is sovereign unconditionally and absolutely". At the front of the Hall of Honor is a colonnaded and vaulted walk. The floor and the walls are made of colored marble, and the ceiling is decorated with mosaics. Torches line the walls on both sides. Exactly opposite is a large window illuminating the Hall. In front of the window, on a raised stone platform is Ataturk's Sarcophagus. It was made of a single piece of colored marble, in front of which is Ataturk's Independence Medallion. Ataturk is buried directly under this sarcophagus.
On the right when leaving the Hall of Honor is colonnade between the Republic Tower and the Defense Law Tower, which is used as a Reception Hall.
In the courtyard in front of the steps leading up to the Mausoleum are the graves of the Liberation Martyrs and President Cemal Gursel. Between the Tower of Victory and the Peace Tower is the grave of Ismet Inonu.
On the walls of the ten towers of the Mausoleum, and at the entrance to the Hall of Honor, are carved the momentous words of Ataturk and his speeches to youth, and the symbols of Turkish history and victories.
The Mausoleum Ataturk Museum was established in the vaulted section between the Tower of the National Pact and Reform in 1960. It is entered through the Tower of the National Pact. In the show cases of the museum are displayed Ataturk's official and civil possessions, the presents given to him by various organizations and individuals, souvenirs, documents, his medals, swords presented to him, plaques, albums and photographs etc.
These objects, which are of great material and spiritual significance, are symbols of the love of the world and the Turkish nation for Ataturk.
Address: Anıt St. Tandoğan/Ankara
Visit Time: Winter: 09.00-12.00/13.00-17.00
Summer: 09.00-12.30/13.30-17.00
All day except Monday

The utilization of the castle with the purposes of defence and settlement in Ankara which is the capital city of the civilization forms throughout the history has enabled the repair and the maintenance of the castle at each period and thereby to stand until today.
It is well-known that the internal ramparts of the current two rows of ramparts which exist from 7th century have been built before the external ones. The information related to the physical structure of the castle which is one of the visit points of both the European and Turkish excursionists beginning from 16th century points out that the white stone with four layers have been used by superposing and the height of the each stone is 4,5 m and wide houses are located at the Internal Castle. Most of the structures which are located at the Region of Public Houses have been constructed between 16th and 17th centuries when the Ottoman Empire was powerful. The increase in the merchant caravans which were traveling at the old Silk Road around the Ankara Castle between China and Europe at that era has caused the formation of the Region of Public Houses. The area at the front of the gateway which is at the south of the Ankara Castle and the level area between the existing Cengelhan is called as At Pazari which has been used as market place at 13th and 14th centuries. The industrial revolution has affected the economy of the Ottoman Empire negatively. Ankara textiles have lost its competitive capacity against the English textiles and other export goods of European countries.

It is a museum in Ankara where the archeological works of arts are exhibited and which is one of the respectable museums of the world. It is located at the Atpazari district, southeast coast of Ankara Castle’s external wall, at two Ottoman structures which are reconstructed with a new function. One of those structures is Mahmut Pasa Bedesten and the other is Kursunlu Han. The museum where only works of arts belonging to Hitit Era were exhibited at the beginning are then enriched by the works of arts belonging to other civilizations and became the Museum of Anatolian civilizations after being Hitit Museum. Anatolian Archeology is exhibited at those historical places of Ottoman Period chronologically beginning from the Paleolithic Age to the present day at the Museum of Anatolian Civilization which is one of the respectable museums of the world with its own collections today.
First museum in Ankara was established by Culture Director Mr. Galip in 1921 at the bastion of the castle which was called as Akkale. In addition to that museum, the works of arts were also collected from Augustus Sanctuary and Roma Baths. A museum building having large areas was required after Hitit works of arts were started to be sent to Ankara by the consideration of constructing “Eti Museum” at the center with the request of Ataturk. The utilization of Mahmut Pasa Bedesten and Kursunlu Han as a museum building after repairing was recommended by Hamit Zubeyr who was the Culture Director at that period to Saffet Arikan who was the Minister of Education at that period, and the restoration works were commenced which has continued from 1938 till 1968. While the repairing of the buildings were continuing in 1943, the canopy middle lounge which was arranged by the committee headed by the German archaeologist H.G.Guterbock was opened to visitors. The repairing project of that section was made by M. Architect Macit Kural and its repairing was carried out by M. Architect Mr.Zuhtu. The museum management has used Akkale along with the warehouse in 1948.

Address: Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi, Gözcü St. No:2 06240 Hisar
Telephone: (0090) 312 324 31 60
Visit Time 8:30-19:00 All Day

The Roman Baths which is located at the Cankiri Main Street from Ulus Square to Yildirim Beyazit Square, and approximately 400 m far from Ulus Square, 2,5 m high from the main street at the west side of the road was constructed at 3rd Century by the Roman Emperor Caracalla, son of Septimis Severus (212-217) on behalf of Health God Asklepion.

Address: Çankırı Cad. Dışkapı
Telephone: (0090) 312 310 72 80
Visit Time: 8:30-19:00 Every day

Ulus is the center of Ankara also before the establishment of the Republic but has been more important center by the Republic. The requirements of Ankara have been determined at the years when the modern construction works have been expedited and the educational institutions, banks, social life centers which are important in many respects have been started to be formed in Ulus by the existence of the Parliament and Station there. Those locations which were like a construction site in those days are now the inheritance which should be protected carefully… Ulus is both the center of the policy and the economy.

Kızılay Square


The Kizilay Square is the centre of Ankara which is the capital city of Turkey. The square which is named by the Kizilay Association is located at the intersection of Ziya Gokalp Main Street at the east (Kolej, Kurtulus side), Gazi Mustafa Kemal Boulevard at the west (Demirtepe, Maltepe, Tandogan) and Ataturk Boulevard at the north-south axis (Sihhiye, Ulus, Bakanliklar Kavaklidere). The square of which the transportation is easy from each points of Ankara has both Metro and Ankara station.

Ethnography is located at the Namazgah district of Ankara, at the hill of Muslim cemetery. The museum has been opened to visitors on 18th July 1930 and the interior courtyard of the Museum has been kept as open until it has been separated as the temporary grave in November 1938.
The Ethnography Museum of Ankara built by architect Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu, is located on the site of a Muslim cemetery on a hill at Namazgah in Ankara, Turkey. The hill was granted to the Ministry of National Education in order for the museum to be built according to Decree of Cabinet of Ministers dated November 15, 1925 by General Directorate of Charity Foundations.
Gazi Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk) visiting the museum on April 15, 1928 after being informed about the museum, ordered the opening of the museum for the reason of visit of Afghan king Amanullah Khan to Turkey. The museum was opened to public on 18 July 1930 and remained open until inner courtyard of the Museum was allocated as temporary tomb for Atatürk's body in November 1938. The body of Atatürk was kept there until it was carried to Anıtkabir in 1953. This section is still kept as a tomb in the memory of Atatürk, there is following inscription on the white marble:
"This is the place, where Atatürk, who passed to eternity on 10.11.1938, lay down from 21.11.1938 until 10.11.1953."
The Ethnography Museum served as a mausoleum of Atatürk for 15 years, until the completion of Anıtkabir. It has been visited by presidents, ambassadors, foreign delegates and public. Works were continued during this period in the museum. Required changes were made for International Museum Week of November 6-14, 1956 and the museum was opened for public visits again.
The building has rectangular design and is one domed. Stone walls are covered with kufeki stones. Forehead section is covered with marble and decorated with carvings. 28 steps are used for entrance into the building. There is a four-column, three-way entrance system. When entered through the door, one reaches the hall under the dome and to the columned section called inner courtyard. There is a marble pool in the middle of the courtyard, and the roof is left open. When this inner courtyard is allocated as temporary mausoleum for Atatürk, the pool was transferred to the garden and the roof was closed. There are small-big size halls around the inner courtyard in symmetry. Administration section is adjacent to the museum and is two storey.
The equestrian statue of Atatürk in bronze in front of the Museum was made by Italian artist P. Conanica commissioned by the Ministry of National Education.
The Ethnography Museum is the museum, where Turkish art from Seljuk era to the present time is exhibited.
Public clothes, jewellery, shoes, slippers, samples collected from various regions of Anatolia, womens and mens socks from Sivas region, various bowls, laces, scarves, belts, handkerchiefs, bed sheets, bride costumes, bridegroom shaving sets, old traditional Turkish art are exhibited.

Address: Talatpaşa Boulevard Opera / Ankara
Visit Time: 08.30-12.30/13.30-17.30
All days except Monday

The Kocatepe Mosque is the largest mosque in Ankara, the capital of 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 idea of building the Kocatepe Mosque dates back to the 1940s. On December 8, 1944, Ahmet Hamdi Akseki, the Vice-President of Turkish Religious Affairs, along with seventy-two founding members, established a society known as the "Society to Build a Mosque in Yenişehir, Ankara." In 1947 this society called for projects to be drawn up by architects, but none of the submitted projects were accepted.
In 1956, through the efforts of the late Adnan Menderes, Prime Minister of the time, land was allocated for the project to build a mosque in Ankara, and a request for projects was made once again in 1957. This time thirty-six projects were evaluated, with the joint project of Vedat Dalokay and Nejat Tekelioğlu being chosen as the one to be implemented.[1]
The accepted project was an innovative and modern design. The construction started, but due to heavy critique from conservatives for its modernist look, the construction was stopped at the foundation level. Vedat Dalokay later built a modified version of the Kocatepe Mosque after winning an international competition for the Shah Faisal Masjid in Islamabad, Pakistan in 1969. This mosque, which can accommodate 100,000 worshippers, is one of the largest mosques of the world, and accepted by many as the frontiers of modern Islamic architecture.
After a third architectural competition in 1967, a more conservative or nostalgic design by Hüsrev Tayla and M. Fatin Uluengin was chosen to be built. Completed in 1987, this project is built in a pseudo 16th century Ottoman architecture style and resembles the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.

Address: Cumhuriyet Cad. Ulus / Ankara
Visit Time: 09.00-12.00/13.30-17.00
All day except Monday