Historical Landmarks Tour (Self Guided), Ankara

One of the most famous architects in Ankara in the 16th century was Sinan who designed the Yeni Mosque. The construction has an amazing design on the inside, with a white marble covering the pulpit and the prayer place whilst the outside is made of traditional Ankara stone. The edifice represents the largest Ottoman mosque in the city.

The lion statues give the mosque its name. It is a perfect embodiment of Selçuk architecture. The construction includes ceramics, wooden columns on the tops of which are placed the marble Corinthian capitals. The location is an important destination for the devotees who come here to pray.

The Ahi Elvan Mosque dates back to the late 14th century. It is situated in the historic Ulus region, right beside the Citadel. The Mosque’s main attraction is its unusual mimber, meaning the pulpit. The material most predominantly used in the mosque is wood. There are twelve wooden columns supporting the ceiling.

Ankara Castle is another Turkish historic spot, founded initially by Galatians on the top of a hill in Ulus. The lands around and inside the citadel are the oldest parts of the city and thus are a living example of architecture of different ages and nations. The region has changed a lot since antiquity. It has many cafés and restaurants serving traditional cuisine.

The Alaaddin Mosque represents one of the oldest constructions in the city, since it dates back to the 12th century. An inscription confirms the mosque's age, and also names its founder Mesut. The mosque is found inside the Citadel, although, unfortunately, not in its original shape and form since it was restored by the Sultans in 14th and 15th centuries.

The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations is located on the south side of Ankara Castle. It consists of the old Ottoman Mahmut Paşa bazaar storage building, and the Kurşunlu Han.

After the remodelling and repairs were completed (1938–1968), the building was opened to the public as the Ankara Archaeological Museum. It is one of the richest museums in the world. Within this Ottoman building, the museum has a number of exhibits of Anatolian archeology. They start with the Paleolithic era, and continue chronologically through the Neolithic, Early Bronze, Assyrian trading colonies, Hittite, Phrygian, Urartian, Greek, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuq and Ottoman periods. There is also an extensive collection of artifacts. The exhibits of gold, silver, glass, marble and bronze works date back as far as the second half of the first millennium BC. The coin collections, with examples ranging from the first minted money to modern times, represent the museum's rare cultural treasures. Museum of Anatolian Civilizations reaching the present time with its historical buildings and its deeply rooted history was elected as the first "European Museum of the Year" in Switzerland on April 19, 1997.

Hacı Bayram Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in Ankara, situated in the historical Ulus. It was built in the 15th century. The edifice was inaugurated in honor of Hacı Bayram Veli two years before he died. He was later buried nearby. The total area of the mosque is about 700 meters divided into two levels.

Built in the period of Emperor Caracalla it was one of the most innovative constructions in the city. The complex combined three areas like: a frigidarium (cold room), a caldarium (hot room), and a tepidarium (tepid room). The bath offered different procedures for its customers.