From the Mosques of Ulus to Kocatepe
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You can see seven centuries of Ankara's mosque heritage in a single walk. The route of about three kilometres runs from Ulus down to Hamamönü, beginning at the tomb of Hacı Bayram-ı Veli and passing the wooden-columned Seljuk and Beylik mosques of Samanpazarı, Aslanhane and Ahi Elvan, then the early Ottoman Karacabey complex, the Cenab-ı Ahmet Paşa Mosque attributed to Mimar Sinan and the Taceddin lodge where the national anthem was written. You end the day at Kocatepe, the mosque that shapes the skyline. The same rule applies at every stop, so take off your shoes, keep your voice low and wait through prayer times.
Route Stops
Hacı Bayram Veli Mosque and Tomb.
Begin with the 1427–28 mosque and the tomb of the founder of the Bayrami order; the square is calm early in the morning and headscarves are lent at the entrance.
Aslanhane Mosque (also known as Ahi Şerafettin Mosque).
Walk fifteen minutes up the Samanpazarı slope; the 1290 wooden-columned mosque with reused Roman capitals and a tiled mihrab is on the UNESCO list. Remember to look up.
Ahi Elvan Mosque.
A few lanes down; do go inside for the twelve wooden columns and the walnut minbar of 1382, the exterior gives nothing away.
Karacabey Mosque and Complex.
At the end of a fifteen-minute walk down to Hamamönü, the 1427 zaviye-plan mosque, tomb and six-hundred-year-old bath are waiting. Have lunch here in Hamamönü.
Ahmeth Pasha Mosque.
Ten minutes along Ulucanlar Street; the single-domed classical Ottoman building of 1566, regarded as Ankara's only Sinan work. Look at the tomb in the courtyard too.
Taceddin Sultan Mosque and Sufi Lodge.
Back into Hamamönü; the courtyard of the 17th-century lodge and the guest house where the national anthem was written, now a museum house. This will be the quietest moment of your day.
Kocatepe Mosque.
Head down to Kızılay by bus or a twenty-five-minute walk. You are in Ankara's largest mosque, built between 1967 and 1987, a classical plan reinterpreted in concrete; do not miss the painted domes in late-afternoon light.
