Ankara

Preserved Areas

Close to the city is Soguksu National Park is in Kizilcahamam, 78km from Ankara, with many species of trees. The wildlife inhabiting the park includes wild boars, bears, wolves, foxes, deer, martins and vultures. Outside the park are partridge and pheasant production farms which are managed by the park directorate. It is a good location for nature walks, trekking and mountaineering, and the park has accommodation and restaurants.

Soğuksu National Park

The most important thermal springs in the province are: Kizilcahamam-Sey, Ayas, Ayas Karakaya, Beypazari-Dutlu-Tahtali, Kapullu, Cubuk Meliksah, and Haymana.

Sporting Activities

Bird Watching

Good places in the area for birdwatching are: Col Golu, Mogan Golu, Kizilcahamam Ormanlari, Kavakli Dagi, Inozu Vadisi and Sariyar Baraji, Beynam Ormani and Tuz Golu.

Sakarya Basin

Kızılırmak Basin

Winter Sports

Located 20km from Ankara, with an altitude between 1500 and 1850m, the Elmadag Ski Centre has a 10-room hotel, chalets, a ski lift, restaurant and bar. The ski seasons runs from January to March. Ankara also has two ice-skating rinks; at Bahcelievler in Sondurak, and in Kurtulus Park.

Elmadağ

Hunting

Foreigners can only hunt in parties organised by Turkish travel agencies which have been authorised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. These agencies provide all information concerning seasons, authorised zones, permits, weapons and ammunition. A list of agencies can be obtained from the Union of Travel Agencies (TURSAB).

For more information, contact: - Forest Ministry, National Parks and Wildlife General Directorate, Gazi Tesisleri No 11, Gazi, Ankara.

Tel: (312) 221 1769/212 6300. Fax: 222 5140.

- Youth and Sport General Directorate, Hunting and Marksman Federation

Ulus Ishani A Blok 4 Kat No 404, Ulus, Ankara.

Tel: (312) 310 6160/310 3960. Fax: 310 6160.

The province of Ankara has a wide variety of wild game, the most important of which are partridge, hazel grouse, rabbit, ducks and geese. In the forests of Nallihan, Beypazari, Kizilcahamam, Camlidere, Cubuk and Gudul, there are bears, lynx, wild hogs and deer.

Fishing

Fishing in the Ankara province can be divided into four different categories: rivers, dams, lakes and ponds. For river fishing there are the Kizilirmak, Sakarya and Kimir rivers and their tributaries. Lake fishing is done at Lake Mogan, Lake Eymir and Lake Karagol. There are also a number of dams in the province for excellent fishing.

Youth Tourism

Climate

Ankara is surrounded by the provinces of Kirsehir and Kirikkale on the east, Eskisehir on the west, Cankiri on the north, Bolu on the northwest and Konya and Aksaray on the south. The province of Ankara is an area covered with the plains that have been formed by the Kizilirmak and Sakarya rivers located in the northwestern part of Central Anatolia. This area is made up of both forests and arid plains.

Vegetation is limited to that normally found in the steppes, and trees are practically non-existent. Thorny plants are the most commonly seen but there are Russian olives, willows and poplar trees growing wherever there is water, and these trees are an important part of steppe vegetation. The plateau surrounding Ankara is characterized by isolated mountains and as one moves north, with the increase in annual rainfall, the barrenness of the steppe starts to give way to more lush vegetation.

The climate varies within this larger province. While the southern part of the province has a climate characteristic of the steppe, in the north the temperate and rainy conditions of the Black Sea make themselves felt. In this area where the hot summers and cold winters characteristic of a continental climate prevail, the hottest months are July-August and the coldest month is January.

The capital city of the Turkish Republic Ankara, was founded almost in the middle of Central Anatolia. Due to its central location, the export of cloth made from the hair of the famous Angora goats turned Ankara into a major stop on the caravan route, and an important business centre especially during the Selcuk and Ottoman eras, in the city once named Angyra. The Galatians were the first used it as a capital city. Although it is known to have been a small settlement during the Hittite period, no artifacts belonging to this period have been found. Excavations conducted in many of the local burial mounds have turned up Phrygian artifacts. After the Phyrgians, the city was occupied respectively by the Persians, Alexander the Great, and the Galatians.

In 25 BC, the Emperor Augustus annexed the city and its Galatians kingdom. In the 4th century AD, there was a surge in Christianity in this region, where Saint Paul is said to have started the church. The 7th and 8th centuries saw the rise of Islam, and the city suffered many raids by the Persians and Arabs.

The outer walls of the castle were built during this time. Between 871-893, Turks and Crusaders took turns occupying the city but in 1127 AD the city was brought under the domination of the Turks and given the name Enguriye. In 1402 as a result of the battle between Yildirim Beyazit and Tamerlane, the city was briefly in the hands of the Mongols. In 1414, however, it came under the rule of the Ottomans. During the war of independence in 1920, Ankara was chosen as a military base and in 1923 was declared the capital by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, due to geographic, strategic and political considerations as well its role in the War of Independence. The foundations of the modern city were then laid, by bringing in city planners from Europe.

Tourism Facilities Data Base Updating Project is still in progress. Upon to the end of the current process some of the shortcomings related to Tourism facilities and regarding information will be removed.

To see the information of the accommodation facilities in Ankara licensed by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism;

The cuisine of Old Ankara displays much of the home-cooked food of the Turks, with the oven and tandoor, and cellars for winter supplies. There is a wide variety of dishes in Ankara: Soups such as as dutmac, keskek, miyane, sutlu, tarhana and toyga. Meat dishes include Ankara tavasi, alabortme, calla, coban kavurmasi, iliskik, kapama, orman kebabi, patlicanli et, sizgic, siyel and siper. To accompany, there is a wide variety of pilaf (rice dishes) such as bici, wheat pilaf, ogmac asi and pit pit pilaf. There are also stuffed dishes like efelek dolmasi, manti, sirden dolmasi (humbar) and yalanci dolma. The pastries of Turkey are delicious, and include alt-ust boregi, ay boregi, bohca, entekke boregi, hamman, kaha, kol boregi, papac, Pazar boregi, tandir boregi.

Ankara’s shopping centres are clustered around Ulus, Kizilay and Kavaklidere. One popular place for visitors is the Cikrikcilar Yokusu and its shops, near Ulus. Around the castle in Ulus, in the area of Cikrikcilar Yokusu and Samanpazari, there are shops which sell traditional handicrafts such as textiles, copper, ceramics, wickerwork and leather, as well as a variety of jewellery, decorations, gift items and all types of antiques.

In the Bakircilar Market, there is a wide selection of goods on offer like souvenirs, antiques and clothes as well as copperware and jewellery. At the end of the ascent to the castle is a small bazaar with stands selling spices, dried fruit and nuts and other products.

Most of the modern shopping centres are in Kizilay, Tunali Hilmi Street and at Atakule in Cankaya. The 125m Atakule dominates the city landscape and from the revolving restaurant there is a breathtaking view of Ankara. The most elite department stores and restaurants in Turkey are in the Karum Mall in Kavaklidere.

Metropolitan Municipality

Ankara University

Başkent University

Bilkent University

Hacettepe University

Çankaya University

ODTÜ University

Altındağ Municipality

Çankaya Municipality

Çubuk Head Official’s Office

Çubuk Municipality

Gölbaşı Municipality

Nallıhan Municipality

Keçiören Municipality

Yenimahalle Municipality

Beypazarı Municipality

Sites

Archeological Sites: 395
Urban Sites: 6
Natural Sites: 19
Historical Sites: 3

Other Sites

Archeological and Natural Sites: 4
Historical and Urban Sites: 1
Administrative Sites: 1
Historical and Natural Sites: 1
Total: 430
Cultural (at Single Construction Scale) and Natural Heritages: 1205

TOTAL: 1635