Ankara, Black Sea & Hattusa

Ankara, the Turkish capital, is a very modern city often overlooked by visitors, yet it has a rich ancient history dating back to the Hittite period. While not picturesque like Istanbul, the city is certainly worth exploring. The magnificent Museum of Anatolian Civilizations is arguably Ankara’s most striking attraction and contains a remarkable record of every civilisation that passed through Anatolia as far back as the Stone Age. A walk up to Ankara castle will reveal views of the city spread beneath you. From the castle, 2km to the southwest, you can see the low hill crowned by Anit Kabir, the mausoleum of Ataturk. What remains of Roman Ancyra has largely been engulfed by modern buildings. The major monument is the Temple of August, built in 29-24 BC, of which the cella survives. For historians, the monumental inscription in honour of the emperor is of greater interest. 

Between Ankara and Istanbul in the central Black Sea region of the country are some of Turkiye’s most well-preserved traditional Ottoman villages. The charming UNESCO World Heritage-listed town of Safranbolu preserves the rich architectural heritage of the Ottoman period and once sat astride the Silk Road. Safranbolu, along with nearby Yoruk Koyu is noted for its cobblestone streets, timber-framed houses, red-tiled roofs, and bustling bazaar. A journey north from here through the mountains will bring you to Amasra, an eye-catching and fortified town that is picturesquely wrapped around a bay on the Black Sea coast. If travelling during the summer months, you may wish to swim in the Black Sea from one of Amasra’s beautiful beaches.

Several of the most important sites of the ancient Hittites (c1750 to 1180 BC), a great civilisation that once vied with ancient Egypt for control of the Near East and vanished from history around 1200 BC after about 500 years of existence, are located between Ankara and Cappadocia. The vast UNESCO World Heritage Site of Hattusa was the capital of the Hittite Empire and is noted for its impressive walls and temples, carved gates (similar to Mycenae in Greece), curious green stone block, and the intricate stone carvings at the sanctuary of Yazilkaya. Nearby, at Alaca Hoyuk, you can visit an even older site that was the capital of the Hattian Empire, a civilisation that inspired the Hittites. The site is noted for the Sphinx Gate as well as the location where many of the most well-known ancient Anatolian emblems, like the deer and sun disc, were discovered.