With its elegant boulevards, civic squares, and rationally planned architecture, Turkey’s capital Ankara has quietly secured a place on UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage Sites.
Far from the grandeur of Istanbul, Ankara offers a different kind of allure — one shaped by the birth of a republic and the vision of a modern nation.
Submitted under the title “Ankara: Planning and Building the Modern Republican Capital”, the dossier highlights the city’s transformation between 1920 and 1970.
It showcases landmarks such as the Ataturk Boulevard axis, Ulus and Kizilay districts, and iconic buildings like the Turkish Grand National Assembly complexes and the Presidential Campus.
These structures, along with public parks and ministry headquarters, reflect a deliberate urban vision rooted in modernism and national identity.
From Anıtkabir, Atatürk’s monumental mausoleum, to the Is Bank headquarters and the Ethnographic Museum, Ankara reveals itself as a curated expression of republican ideals.
With 80 cultural sites now on UNESCO’s radar, Turkey positions Ankara’s architectural legacy as not just a national treasure, but a global model of 20th-century urbanism.