Çankaya is the posh part of Ankara, the place where diplomats and foreign businessmen tend to live. It is also home to the Çankaya Köşkü which used to be home to the Turkish President; consequently, “Çankaya” was sometimes used as shorthand for statements coming from the President.
For tourists Çankaya’s most obvious attraction is the Atakule, the 125m-high tower with a revolving restaurant at the top that is a city landmark. Built between 1987 and 1989 by the Turkish architect, Ragıp Buluç, it’s the perfect place to come on a clear day to get a bird’s-eye view of the crowded city.
In the dip immediately in front of the tower you’ll find Ankara’s small Botanic Garden, a pleasant refuge on hot days.
In the grounds of the Çankaya Köşkü, the Müze Köskü is the home, converted from what had been a vineyard house belonging to an Armenian family, where Atatürk lived when he was in Ankara after the architect Vedat Tek made some alterations to it in the 1920s.
The Çankaya Köskü (Pembe Köskü) itself was designed by the Austrian architect Clemens Holzmeister between 1930 and 1932, and became the new home for Atatürk until his death in 1938. At the same time the Turkish architect Seyfi Arkan designed the Çamlı Köşkü (Glass Pavilion) for Atatürk’s sister Makbule. It is now a guesthouse for visiting heads of state.
Sleeping
Transport info
Many buses run along Atatürk Bulvarı from Heykel in Ulus to Çankaya, passing through Opera and Kavaklıdere.
