Ankara Citadel

Ankara Kalesi sits on a rock above the old city, its outer and inner walls built and rebuilt from Roman through Byzantine to Seljuk and Ottoman times, with column drums and inscribed blocks from earlier buildings visible reused in the masonry. Inside the walls is a quarter that survived when the rest of the city was rebuilt as a capital in the twentieth century: narrow lanes of timber-framed Ankara houses, some restored as cafés, carpet shops and small hotels, others still lived in and shabby. The walls can be climbed at the highest tower for a view over the whole of Ankara, which from up there reads as a modern city sprawling around a small old core. At the foot of the citadel is the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations in a restored bedesten, one of the best museums in the country, and around it the old market streets selling spices, dried fruit, copper and wool. The climb up is steep.

What to look for

• The reused stonework - Roman blocks built into the walls.
• The timber quarter - Ankara houses inside the citadel.
• The tower view - the capital spread out below.
• The market streets - spice and copper trade at the foot.

When to go

April to June and September to November - the Ankara plateau is bitterly cold in winter and hot in summer. Late afternoon for light and the view.

Practical notes

The climb is steep and the lanes are rough cobbles. Restoration inside is patchy - restored cafés sit beside decaying houses. Wall edges at the top are unfenced in places.

Nearby

The Museum of Anatolian Civilisations is at the foot of the hill; Hamamönü is a short ride south.

Key facts