Hamamönü
A restored Ottoman timber-house quarter where colourful two-storey houses hold craft shops, tea houses and traditional restaurants, ideal for slow wandering.
Hamamönü sits on the south side of the Citadel and takes its name from the 15th-century Karacabey Bath. In the late 2000s the municipality restored the entire district, repainting rows of white-walled Ottoman houses with timber frames in pastel colours, making it Ankara's most photogenic old quarter. Inside are traditional craft workshops, second-hand bookshops, dessert shops and grill restaurants. In the evening lanterns light up and street performances are common. Nearby, the Tacettin Mosque and the Karacabey Bath are still in use, and visitors can try a Turkish bath. Free entry; the Citadel is about a 15-minute walk away.
Opening hours
All day (shops approx. 10:00–22:00)
Nearby sights
- Aslanhane Mosque (Ahi Şerafeddin Mosque)
- Rahmi M. Koç Museum Ankara
- Erimtan Archaeology and Arts Museum
- Museum of Anatolian Civilizations
- Ankara Castle
- Ethnography Museum of Ankara
- Temple of Augustus and Rome
- Hacı Bayram Veli Mosque