Ankara Citadel
The Old Heart Of Ankara, A Byzantine And Seljuk Fortress With Surviving Walls, Towers, Ottoman Wooden Houses, Antique Shops, Cafes And Panoramic Views Over The Modern Capital. A Walking Stop Beside The Museum Of Anatolian Civilizations, With The Alaeddin Mosque And Roman Temple Of Augustus Nearby · Altindag, Ankara
Ankara Citadel, called Hisar or the Kale, crowns a steep hill above the old quarter of Ulus in the centre of the Turkish capital, and it is the place where the city began long before it became a republic. A ring of inner and outer walls, built and repaired by Phrygians, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottomans, still encloses a tangle of stone lanes, Ottoman wooden houses, small mosques and antique shops, with towers made partly from older carved blocks (confirm the dates). The Alaeddin Mosque, a Seljuk building of the 12th century, stands near the top, and the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations lies at the foot of the hill, so the two visits work well together. Cafes and craft stalls fill the upper lanes, and from the ramparts you see the whole modern city spread in the valley below, with the Anitkabir hill in the distance. It is a steep, atmospheric walk of two to three hours, quietest on weekdays.
Ankara Citadel (Hisar), a walled hill fortress above the old quarter of Ulus in central Ankara, near the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations; coordinates approximate, Altindag, Ankara, Turkiye
The citadel lanes and gates are normally open all day and into the evening with no ticket for walking, though the upper cafes and shops keep their own hours, often 09:00 to 21:00 or later in summer (confirm). The Alaeddin Mosque is open between prayer times, and the nearby Museum of Anatolian Civilizations keeps normal museum hours, roughly 08:30 to 17:00, and closes on some mornings or Mondays (confirm). Antique and craft shops open late and close early on Sundays and holidays. Evening light and floodlighting make the walls attractive after sunset, but lanes are dim, so avoid walking alone late at night.