10 museums in Ankara that you must see

Ankara Museums is one of the must-visit places in the city when you go to Ankara. Ankara, which provides a historical overview of the cultural, social, economic and political fields in Turkey, is actually the first place where museum activities began in our country. Ankara museums, which allow you to observe the periods of our country in the historical chronology, are scattered throughout the city in different districts. The number of museums opened in Ankara in order to preserve the cultural heritage and valuable relics that shed light on history is around 75. If you are in the capital, Ankara, we have collected 10 museums that you must see. Let’s take a look at the list together. Here are the museums in Ankara that you must see…

1. Gordion Museum

We are entering the list of Ankara museums that you must see with Gordion. In the Gordion Museum, established in 1963 near the village of Yassıhöyük in Ankara Polatlı, collections of ancient Greek, Hittite and Greek imported ceramics and Hellenistic and Roman works are on display.

The museum also houses the collections of seals and coins found at Gordion, a Roman mosaic discovered during the excavations of the Kayabashi village foundation, and a Galatian tomb. Some of the works are on display in the museum’s garden. You can visit the Gordion Museum in Ankara, which has become one of the most important museums in Turkey with its laboratory, photo and information hall, and indoor and outdoor exhibition halls, which were added in the 1990s.

2. Ethnographic Museum

One of the first museums established in the Republican era in Turkey, the Ankara Ethnographic Museum is one of the must-visit museums in the city. Examples of Turkish art from the Seljuk era to the present are presented in Ethnography. It is possible to see a variety of artifacts representing Anatolian art, such as items collected from different regions of Anatolia, folk clothes, hand-made ornaments, samples of clogs, embroidery, carpets and rugs.

So what else awaits us in the museum? Also in this museum are bows and arrows, flintlock pistols, rifles, swords, spears, Turkish porcelain, Kütahya ceramics, items related to Sufism and sect, and tablets which are fine examples of Turkish lettering.

The most important works of the museum are the models of Turkish woodwork from the Seljuk period to the present day. There is also a specialized library in the museum, which houses works related to Anatolian ethnography and folklore, and art history.

3. Museum of Anatolian Civilizations

If you come to Ankara, you should definitely visit the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, which was chosen as the Museum of the Year in Europe in 1997 and is one of the few museums in the world. The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, one of the most important museums in Ankara and Turkey, is located in the Atpazari district, the oldest settlement and commercial center of Ankara, in two Ottoman buildings on the edge of the outer wall of the Ankara Citadel. The museum was first established at the request of Atatürk in Mahmud Pasha Bedesten and Kursunlu Han.

In the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, Archeology of Anatolia, starting from Paleolithic, Neolithic, Ancient Bronze, Assyrian, Hittite, Phrygian, Urartian, Karin, Çatalhoyuk, Hasylar, Kansan, Beys Sultan, Alacahoyuk, Kultazi, Gordion, Trade Colonies, The different groups found in the Pazarlı, Altintepe, Adelciphas and Patnos excavations are presented in chronological order.

4. Jingle Han Rahmi M Museum

Drawing attention as Ankara’s first industrial museum, Cengel Han also hosted a shop used by Koç Holding founder Vehbi Koç when he started his business life. The building was placed under protection in 2005 and opened to the public as a museum. The Jungle Han Museum uses Rahmi M Koch to support research in industrial history. At the museum, more than 4,000 objects are on display in 32 rooms, revealing the pasts of many industries, from shipping to road transport, and from aviation to medicine.

5. The War of Independence Museum

The first Turkish Grand National Assembly building, located in Ulus Square, is among the structures of the national architectural period that served as the first parliament between 1920-1924. The building, which then continued to serve as the headquarters of the Republican People’s Party and the Faculty of Law, opened its doors in 1961 as the Museum of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and in 1981 as the Museum of the War of Independence. The museum’s collection includes the personal belongings of Atatürk and his deputies, ethnographic materials, medals of independence, war tools and equipment, drafts of Teşkilat-ı Esasiye Kanunu, and communication tools such as a telephone and Morse code printer. On the other hand, it is possible to see the oil paintings in the museum.

6. Museum of the Republic

The Ankara Republican Museum building, located on Cumhuriyet Street in Ulus, was built in 1923 as the Republican People’s Party Hall. However, in 1924, when the first parliament building was not enough, the function of this building was changed and it was arranged as the parliament building. Until 1960, ii. The building, which is used as the Parliament House, has been open as the Museum of the Republic since 1981.

In the museum there are personal belongings of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Ismet Inonu and Celal Bayar, the first three presidents of Turkey, various stationery used in parliament, minutes of parliamentary meetings, and one sample of parliamentary attendance books. Artifacts related to Atatürk’s principles and reforms are also on display inside the museum.

7. Ulukanlar Prison Museum

Ulucanlar Prison Museum, one of the most eye-catching museums in Ankara, ranks seventh on our list. Ulukanlar Prison is the prison where intellectual criminals and political criminals handed down their criminal sentences from 1925 to 2006, where Turkey’s bitter history lived. In the museum, there are courtyards where detailed information is displayed on journalists, writers, poets and politicians who were imprisoned for their ideas for 81 years, personal belongings obtained from their families and photographs taken during their imprisonment.

On the other hand, the museum library hosts books written with memorable names from the political history of Turkey and important publications from different periods. The Library, a historical archive with court records of period names, minutes, and first editions of publications that are difficult to find today, is one of the must-see areas of the museum.

8. MTA Natural History Museum

The MTA Museum of Natural History, which is the first natural history museum in Turkey, has been open to service since 1968 under the supervision of the Directorate General of Mineral Research and Exploration. The museum includes geological, mineralogical and paleontological research and studies conducted by the MTA Institute. On the other hand, research and scientific and technical materials conducted by the science faculties of the museum can be visited.

9. Air Force Museum

We continue our list of Ankara museums with the Air Force Museum, which was officially opened by Sabiha Gökçen, the adopted daughter of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and Turkey’s first pilot. It is a great pleasure for you to visit the Ankara Air Force Museum, which contains a rich collection of all types of aircraft, weapons, ammunition and ground defense systems in the inventory of the Turkish Air Force. Museum can be visited, model aircraft, information on world aviation history, bomber equipment, flight simulator, real fighter cockpit experience, military radars, aircraft engines, military reconnaissance and training aircraft.

10. State Museum of Painting and Sculpture

We complete our list of must-visit Ankara museums with the Ankara Painting and Sculpture Museum. The museum is in service in a 1927 neoclassical building. There are three exhibitions of fine arts, workshops for painting, sculpture and ceramics. National and international exhibitions are held every year in the museum, where the constituent collections of works of Turkish painting are displayed.

There is also a restoration workshop inside the building. In addition to the works exhibited in 6 halls, there is a library, an oriental hall, a concert hall and a theater in the museum. At the same time, the Ankara State Opera and Ballet, private art troupes of the Ministry of Culture, concerts, film and folk dance performances and conferences are also held in this building.

Let us take you here to the unknown about the Mosaic Museum in the Grand Palace, the hidden treasure of Istanbul.

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