Presidential Atatürk Mansion Museum

Located within the Presidential Çankaya Campus, the Atatürk Museum Mansion is the residence and workspace used by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk between 1921 and 1932. As the first Presidential Residence of the Republic of Türkiye, the building was opened to the public in 1950 and has since been known as the Atatürk Museum Mansion. Between 2002 and 2007, a comprehensive restoration project was carried out, renewing both the building and all items within it. The mansion, which can be visited with a guided tour, aims to realistically reflect Atatürk’s daily life and provide visitors with an authentic sense of the lived atmosphere of the house. Within the campus, a vineyard house occasionally used by Atatürk also serves as a museum, and the Glass Pavilion (Camlı Köşk), which was built for his sister Makbule Hanım, is likewise open to visitors.

Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum

The museum building was constructed on Namazgah Hill by Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu in 1927. A fine example of the First National Architecture Period (1908–1930), the building was designed as the Headquarters of the Turkish Hearts. Restored and opened in 1980, the museum quickly became an institution with all the functions and services required by contemporary museology. Among the museum’s first works are Osman Hamdi Bey’s “The Arms Dealer,” V. Vereshchagin’s “At Timur’s Tomb,” Fausto Zonaro’s “Portrait of a Young Girl,” and Emel Cimcoz Korutürk’s “Gratitude to a Veteran”. Some of the paintings purchased by Adnan Ötüken, founder of the National Library, have also been restored and added to the museum collection. Some of the works of artists who participated in the state painting and sculpture exhibitions, which began in 1939 during the Republican era to promote plastic arts among the public and support artists, were included in the museum’s collection by a selection committee. The works, added through purchases, illustrate the evolution of Turkish plastic arts and meet the needs of researchers working in this field

ANKAmall Shopping Center

ANKAmall is a shopping center located in the Gazi neighborhood of Yenimahalle district in Ankara. It opened on August 27, 1999, under the name “Ankara Migros Shopping Center” and, following expansion work in 2004, began operating under the name “ANKAmall” on May 12, 2006. ANKAmall Shopping Center

Uyuzsuyu Waterfall

On the northwest side of the Sarıçalı Mountain peak, there is a flat area covered with two acres of meadow. The healing water, which emerges from near the flat area at a temperature of 36°C, flows through the middle of the meadow, winding its way down to the stream bed from a height of 50-60 meters. The waterfall is worth seeing. In the middle of the meadow, there are a few pine trees believed to be very old. Starting from the village of Çulhalar and extending to the Ilıca Waterfall, you can enjoy a 6-7 hour nature walk and experience a happy exhaustion by tasting local dishes in the village of Karacasu.

Ankara Palace

Opened in 1928, the Ankara Palace, located opposite the Second Assembly in Ulus, is a symbolic building of the Republic period. The building where the founder of the Republic, Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, stayed after his speeches, turned into a meeting place for parliament members, journalists, and artists in the 1930s. Initially, the building designed as the club of deputies, was completed by Architect Kemalettin Bey’s project and started operating as a 120- bed Hotel in 1927. Ankara Palace, which had hosted foreign delegations and significant meetings for years, was later restored and became the State Guesthouse in 1982. The building, which was transferred to the National Palaces Administration in 2018, has welcomed its visitors as a museum since 2024.

Metromall Shopping Center

Metromall Shopping Center is a shopping mall located in Ankara. It opened on September 28, 2017. The building complex, which has 198 stores and a parking lot for 3,000 vehicles, is Ankara's first shopping center with a retractable roof. Hande Yener performed on the night of the opening, followed by Murat Boz and Ebru Gündeş the following week.

Ulucanlar Prıson Museum

Established in 1925, Ulucanlar Prison was closed in 2006 following the transfer of inmates to Sincan Prison. In June 2011, the building was restored by the Altındağ Municipality and opened to the public as a museum. The museum displays detailed information about the inmates who were held at Ulucanlar, including personal belongings provided by their families and photographs taken during their imprisonment. Additionally, classrooms where prisoners received education and the handicrafts they produced are also exhibited.

Museum of Etnography

The Museum of Ethnography holds the distinction of being the first building in Türkiye constructed specifically to serve as a museum. It was opened to the public on July 18, 1930, with artifacts collected from local communities. Following the passing of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1938, the museum’s inner courtyard served as his temporary resting place for 15 years. The museum is dedicated to exhibiting artifacts from the Turkish-Islamic period of Anatolia. Its halls feature displays on traditional clothing, embroidery, jewelry, and cultural practices such as henna night and the groom’s ceremonial shaving. The museum also showcases elements of hamam (Turkish bath) culture. In addition, visitors can explore regional examples of Anatolian carpets and kilims, metalwork, copperware tools and utensils, exhibits themed around Turkish coffee culture, traditional spoons, a reconstructed Turkish room, and ceremonial items related to circumcision rituals. The museum also houses fine examples of Turkish tiles, ceramics, glassware, weaponry, calligraphic panels, and rare wooden artifacts from the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. A special exhibition room is dedicated to the Besim Atalay Collection, presenting selected pieces from his personal archive.

Museums of Anatolian Civilations

The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations is located in the At Pazarı district, near the southeastern outer wall of Ankara Castle. It consists of two restored Ottoman-era buildings that have been repurposed for museum use. The Mahmut Pasha Bazaar is believed to have been built between 1464 and 1471 by Mahmut Pasha, the grand vizier of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror. The Kurşunlu Han was commissioned by another grand vizier of the same era, Mehmet Pasha, as a foundation (vakıf) to support his charitable complex in the Üsküdar district of Istanbul. Both structures were abandoned following a fire in 1881, but were later restored over many years upon the request of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, in order to exhibit artifacts collected from across Anatolia. The museum officially opened in 1921. Today, the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations is recognized as one of the leading museums in the world, with its rich and unique collections. Artifacts ranging from the Paleolithic Age to the Ottoman Period are exhibited in chronological order. On April 19, 1997, the museum was awarded the title of “Museum of the Year” in Lausanne, Switzerland, ranking first among 68 museums from various countries.

Roman Baths Open-Air Museum

"The Roman Baths stand along Çankırı Street, which stretches from Ulus Square to Yıldırım Beyazıt Square. Today, the area is preserved as one of Ankara’s most significant Roman-period archaeological sites, accessible to visitors as both an open-air museum and a heritage ruins zone. The complex consists of two main structural components: the gymnasium (palaestra) and the bathing complex. The gymnasium is a monumental, nearly square-planned courtyard, framed on all four sides by columned porticoes (revak / colonnaded galleries). The cold room (frigidarium), warm room (tepidarium), and hot room (caldarium) are attached to the gymnasium as a unified architectural mass, reflecting a holistic spatial design. The complex was conceived as an imperial-era public monument, incorporating courtyards, a furnace area (külhan), hypocaust heating systems, water reservoirs, and service and workshop sections. The primary remains visible today include the lower hypocaust levels and service infrastructure. Archaeological finds recovered through excavations—such as coins, inscriptions, relief fragments, and Corinthian capitals—indicate that the complex was built during the reign of Emperor Caracalla (AD 211–217). The baths were later repaired and continued to be in use during the Byzantine period, as confirmed by archaeological evidence. Since 2020, conservation and partial restoration work has improved structural safety and the overall visitor experience, enhancing the site’s legibility and accessibility. The gymnasium section of the Roman Baths continues to display a rich outdoor collection of inscriptions gathered from Roman-era Ancyra (ancient Ankara), making it one of the most important epigraphic open-air exhibits in the city. The site lies within the historical heart of Ulus and remains a key node along Ankara’s cultural pedestrian routes."

Museums of Republic

The building was designed and constructed in 1923 by architect Vedat Tek as the meeting hall for the Republican People’s Party. However, when the First Turkish Grand National Assembly building proved insufficient to meet the growing needs, the function of this building was changed and it was repurposed as the new assembly hall. On October 18, 1924, it officially began serving as the Second Turkish Grand National Assembly building. The museum features rooms displaying personal belongings of Türkiye’s first three Presidents -Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Mustafa İsmet İnönü, and Mahmut Celal Bayarwho collectively served for a period of 36 years. Reflecting the architectural characteristics of its era, the building showcases Seljuk and Ottoman ornamental motifs in its wooden ceiling decorations, arches, eaves, and tiles. Following extensive restoration and renovation, the front section of the building was reorganized and opened to the public as a museum on October 30, 1981.

Gökyay Foundation Chess Museum

Founded in 2015 by Akın Gökyay, the Gökyay Foundation Chess Museum is Türkiye’s first and the world’s largest chess museum, dedicated to showcasing contemporary chess sets. The museum displays 706 chess sets from 110 countries, organized under four main themes: Design, Children, War and Peace, and Countries and Civilizations. The collection reflects historical and cultural narratives from around the world—from the Gallipoli Campaign to the 9/11 Attacks, from Roman-Egyptian wars to Napoleon’s campaigns, and from the vibrant traditions of India to the mystical world of the Far East. Each set offers a unique artistic interpretation rooted in the heritage of its country of origin.