Ankara

More chess sets ancient and modern than you'd think possible, including weird versions such as the three-sided game.

A modest building in spite of the name, this was built around 1500.

Built by the famous architect Sinan in 1566, it's in finely-crafted Ankara stone. The mimber (pulpit) and mihrap (prayer niche) are of white marble.

This bleak place was built as a barracks then converted to a prison in 1925. It held almost 800, in a mix of semi-open and maximum security wings. It was a brutal instrument of political repression, with its inmates a long roll-call of literati and activists, torture was common, and 19 were hanged in the prison yard mostly for being Marxist. There was a series of riots in 1999. It closed in 2006 and was converted into a museum in 2011.

This was the first site of the Turkish Republican Parliament, from 1920 to 1924. The 1921-22 War of Independence was directed from here, and there are photos and other memorabilia. Later the building housed various government functions until becoming a museum in 1981. Signage is only in Turkish.

This was built in 1428, restored by Mimar Sinan in the 16th century, and with Kütahya tiles added in the 18th. Hacı Bayram Veli (1352–1430) was a poet and Sufi teacher, and his ornate tomb is a pilgrimage site.

The Romans conquered Anatolia in the Mithridatic Wars of 88-63 BC, and created the province of Galatea with Ancyra as its capital. From 25 BC they built over what had been a Phyrigian temple to make an "Augusteum" for the worship of their emperor Octavian or Augustus (an outstanding ruler, a contrast to his successor, the dark and dissipated Tiberius). In the 5th century it was converted into a church by the Byzantines. Only the side walls and ornate doorway remain.

Ruins of a large Roman bath complex, built under Emperor Caracalla circa 200 AD and in use for 500 years. They follow the classical design of frigidarium (cold room), tepidarium (warm room) and caldarium (hot room), and their relative sizes show that Ancyra had winters as chilly then as now - those coins that fixed the dates were obviously not paid out to get even colder.

Small collection of aircraft around a parachute training tower (only 41 m, so don't expect much freefall time), and a small indoor collection. Not to be confused with the military aviation museum west edge of the city.

Display of stamps and other postal memorabilia.

Crowded collection of antique Turkish carpets, candle holders and Korans, watches, woodworks, tiles and other crafts. The 1927 building used to be a law school.

Contemporary art museum in the former power plant for Turkish Railways.

Built from 1927, this hosts a permanent display of Turkish art from late 1800s to present day, plus temporary exhibitions.

Huge array of Turkic art covering painting, porcelain, woodwork, clothing, carpets, metalwork and weaponry. It was built 1925-28 and from 1938 to 1953 housed the sarcophagus of Atatürk, pending completion of his mausoleum of Anıtkabir.

Extensive display of Turkish painters and artists from the early days of the Republic until present times.

Ersoy (1873-1936) trained as a vet but became politicised in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire. He's best known for composing the Turkish national anthem. This museum reconstructs his stay here.

This is beneath the Hall of Honor and displays belongings and memorabilia of Atatürk, the 1915 battles of Gallipoli / Çanakkale and the 1920/21 War of Independence, and the postwar overthrow of the Ottomans and proclamation of the republic.

This had been in the planning since 1944, but attempts at a modern style were thwarted by the conservatives. So what was built from 1967 to 1987 is a neoclassical Ottoman structure.

Atatürk took a liking to this countryside mansion, which was rebuilt to become the presidential home after the capital moved to Ankara. The mansion became centrepiece of a large government campus, so "Çankaya" meant the presidency similar to "White House", "Kremlin" or "Downing Street". In 2018 the president's residence was moved 10 km north to the humongous (and off-limits) Ak Palace, but the vice-president's residence and several government offices remain here. It used to be possible to arrange guided tours of the mansion and other buildings, but these are no longer available.

Large museum of science and technology. Has a particularly good collection of military aircraft, and a large steam locomotive. However, not accessible to the general public usually - you have to have an invitation to the METU campus or TEKNOKENT to pass security.

Extensive model farm established by Atatürk, to prove that the dusty steppes around Ankara could be converted into good farmland. (His successors preferred to cover everything with concrete.) The barn has been turned into a museum of farming methods.

A collection of two dozen military aircraft.

A reconstruction of 1930s-50s Anatolian village life, with buildings relocated from rural Western Karadeniz and demonstrations of crafts. The suspension bridge is a catchpenny extra.

A prehistoric cave, extensively decorated, discovered during construction of the ring road.

Eccentric reproduction of an Ottoman-style wooden mansion, built by a local businessman during the 1960s. Now open to the public as a museum, with a decent cafe inside. A particular highlight is the signed photos of George H.W. Bush and Margaret Thatcher.

This opened in 1948 and looks it, the grandeur is kinda faded. It hosts theatre as well as opera and ballet.

Ranged around Susuz Lake, with an island restaurant, cafes and funfair.