Middle East - Anthony Ham [493]
In Safranbolu and Amasya, drinking in the history involves sipping çay and gazing at the half-timbered Ottoman houses. While these are two of Turkey’s most beautiful towns, offering Ottoman digs with cupboard-bathrooms, other spots are so little-visited that foreigners may find themselves entered as just turist (tourist) in hotel guest books. This offers the opportunity to get to grips with everyday Anatolian life in a coach party–free environment – where historical heavyweights from the Hittites to Atatürk established major capitals.
Return to beginning of chapter
ANKARA
0312 / pop 4.5 million
İstanbullus may quip that the best view in Ankara is the train home, but the Turkish capital has more substance than its reputation as a staid administrative centre suggests. The capital established by Atatürk offers a mellower, more manageable vignette of urban Turkey than İstanbul, and two of the country’s most important sights: the Anıt Kabir, Atatürk’s hilltop mausoleum; and the Museum of Anatolian Civilisations, which will help you solve clues at sites left on the Anatolian plains by Hittites, Phrygians and other ancient folk. It can be a disjointed place, but two or three neighbourhoods have some charm: the historic streets in the hilltop citadel, the chic Kavaklıdere district and Kızılay, one of Turkey’s hippest urban quarters.
Orientation & Information
Ankara’s citadel crowns a hill 1km east of Ulus Meydanı (Ulus Sq), the heart of Old Ankara and near most of the inexpensive hotels. The newer Ankara lies further south, with better hotels, restaurants and nightlife in Kızılay and Kavaklıdere.
Atatürk Bulvarı is the main north–south axis. Ankara’s mammoth otogar is 5.5km southwest of Ulus and 4.5km west of Kızılay. The train station is just over 1km southwest of Ulus Meydanı along Cumhuriyet Bulvarı.
The tourist office ( 310 8789, 231 5572; Anafartalar Caddesi 67, Ulus; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm Sat), southeast of Ulus Meydanı, plans to move to a new office at the train station. The main PTT (Atatürk Bulvarı) is just south of Ulus Meydanı. There are internet cafés and banks with ATMs around Ulus Meydanı, and Karanfıl Sokak in Kızılay.
Sights
With the world’s richest collection of Hittite artefacts, the state-of-the-art Museum of Anatolian Civilisations (Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi; 324 3160; admission TL15; 8.30am-5pm), housed in a beautifully restored 15th-century bedesten, is Turkey’s best museum outside İstanbul. Just up the hill, it’s also well worth exploring the side streets of the citadel, the most scenic part of Ankara. Inside it, local people still live as if in a traditional Turkish village.
About 400m north of Ulus Meydanı, take a look at the surprisingly well preserved remains of the Roman baths (Roma Hamaları; admission TL3; 8.30am-12.30pm & 1.30-5.30pm), dating back to the 3rd century. Southeast of the baths, you’ll find more Roman ruins, including the Column of Julian (AD 363) in a square ringed by government buildings, and the Temple of Augustus & Rome.
If you’re an Atatürk devotee, you can’t leave the city without having paid your respects to the founder of modern Turkey at the Anıt Kabir (Mausoleum of Atatürk; admission free; 9am-5pm mid-May–Oct, to 4pm Nov-Jan, to 4.30pm Feb–mid-May), 2km northwest of Kızılay Meydanı.
Sleeping
The first three listings are in the citadel or on the hill leading to it from Ulus Meydanı. However, locals advise against wandering Ulus’ streets after about 9pm, so you may prefer to stay in Kızılay, which is pricier but has better restaurants and bars. Book ahead to beat the businessmen and bureaucrats to a room.
Kale Otel ( 311 3393; Şan Sokak 13, Ulus; s/d TL30/50) One of the closest hotels to the museum, the Kale’s yellow-and-red facade is rather off-putting but its pink-and-red interior is more palatable. Wi-fi is available. This is one of Ulus’ more-pleasant budget options.
Hitit Oteli ( 310 8617; www.otelhitit.com; Hisarparkı Caddesi 12, Ulus; s/d TL75/100) A noticeable step up in quality compared