Things to see and do Ankara

The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations is a must-see in the Turkish capital and ranks among the most beautiful museums in the country. The rich collections on display are the perfect introduction to Turkey's turbulent history. Housed in two Ottoman buildings, a bedesten (covered market) built by the vizier Mahmut Paşa in 1471 and the Kurşunlu Han caravanserai, this formidable museum, unique in its rare collections, allows you to follow the different civilizations present in Turkey from the Paleolithic to the Roman era.

The most fascinating finds concern the Neolithic and Hittite periods. The objects are arranged in chronological order. To understand the explanations, a good command of English or the purchase of a guidebook is essential! After the Paleolithic fossils, you arrive at the showcases of the remains discovered at Çatal Höyük (6500-5700 BC). A dwelling is reconstructed here with its wall paintings. The tools show the development of agriculture, but more interesting are the terracotta statuettes of generously proportioned women representing the Great Mother Goddess of Hacılar, a symbol of fertility. Similar figurines have been unearthed in the Greek Cyclades. You then move on to the Chalcolithic period (5500-3000 BC), with the first copper tools and utensils found in Hacılar and Alacahöyük.

The manufacture of metal objects diversified during the Early Bronze Period (3000-1950 BC). The objects exhibited here, beautiful jewelry, sun discs, and electrum animals, were found in Alacahöyük, the capital of the Hattis. In the section devoted to the period of the Assyrian colonies (1950-1750 BC), superb animal-shaped libation vessels are displayed. The Assyrian merchants contributed greatly to the development of the Anatolian civilization by introducing, among other things, writing. Then comes the collection of the Hittite Empire (1750-1200 BC), with tablets with cuneiform writing and exceptional pottery, which complement some visits to Cappadocia, and finally, the Phrygian period (1200-700 BC) and Urartian (1200-700 BC). The Urartes were the main opponents of the Phrygians.

The central part of the museum, devoted to Hittite sculpture, presents friezes inspired by military epics and monumental statues.

Located on the hill of Maltepe, this monumental mausoleum lined with columns was built between 1944 and 1953. Guards stand in front of the hall that houses the imposing marble cenotaph of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey. In the adjacent museum (Atatürk müzesi) are displayed his personal objects, photographs and his car collection. In the courtyard to the right is buried the second president, Ismet Inönü.