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Photo: ilhan turun, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
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.
The Ulucanlar Prison Museum is a former state prison in Ankara, Turkey, that was converted into a prison museum following restoration by Altındağ Municipality. The museum was opened in 2011. It is the first museum of its kind in Turkey.
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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.
Molla Büyük Cami
A modest building in spite of the name, this was built around 1500.
This volcanic outcrop has probably been fortified since the dawn of mankind, but the earliest traces are from the Phrygians of 8th century BC. The castle was reinforced by the Galatians then the Romans. You stroll up through cobbled streets to the double walls and can climb one of the towers, with views of the sprawling city and distant mountains.
Ahi Şerafeddin Camii
Built in 1290 in Seljuk style, and repaired in 1330 under Ahi Şerafeddin hence its other name. Well worth the hike up the hill for its finely-carved interior, notably the ceiling supported by a forest of wooden columns. In 2023, five wooden mosques in Central Anatolia were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List - Aslanhane was one of them.
Gökyay Vakfı Satranç Müzesi
More chess sets ancient and modern than you'd think possible, including weird versions such as the three-sided game.
Anadolu Medeniyetleri Müzesi
Excellent display ranging from prehistory to the proto-Greek and Roman eras.