History
The hill was fortified in antiquity, under the Galatians and the Romans. The inner ring of walls was built by the Byzantines in the 7th century, when the city suffered Persian and Arab raids, and in 859 Emperor Michael III restored the defences, as an inscription records. From the late 11th century the Seljuks held the fortress, and in 1354 it passed to the Ottomans. In 1402, on the plain outside Ankara, Timur crushed the army of Sultan Bayezid I. When Ankara became the capital of Turkey in 1923, an old quarter was still alive within the walls, and it survives today.
What to see
Inside the walls, winding lanes lead between restored timber-and-brick houses, shops selling dried fruit, and cafés. Look into the 12th-century Alaeddin Mosque and climb the Ak Kale tower for a panorama of the whole of Ankara. At the foot of the citadel the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations holds outstanding Hittite collections.
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