Museum of Anatolian Civilizations

The Museum of Anatolian Civilizations occupies two Ottoman buildings at the foot of Ankara Castle: a 15th-century covered market hall (the Mahmut Paşa Bedesten) and a caravanserai (Kurşunlu Han). The collection runs in chronological order from the Palaeolithic onwards, so walking the rooms in sequence gives a compact overview of Anatolian history.

Highlights include the wall paintings, mother-goddess figurines and a reconstructed house from Çatalhöyük, one of the world's earliest large settlements; clay tablets in cuneiform left by Assyrian merchants at Kültepe; Hittite reliefs and carved stone slabs in the central hall; Phrygian finds from Gordion, especially wooden furniture and bronze vessels; and Urartian metalwork. Labels are short but clear. Allow an hour and a half to two hours for an unhurried visit.

The museum sometimes closes galleries for renovation, so check the official museum page for the current situation before you go. Afterwards, the natural continuation is up the hill to Ankara Castle and the old streets around it. The castle lanes are cobbled and steep, so wear comfortable shoes. School groups can crowd weekday mornings; afternoons tend to be calmer. Check the hours on the museum page.