One of the most interesting monuments that tell the history of Ankara, is the Fortress or Citadel of Hisar. The imposing structure of the fortress sits atop a hill and is visible from almost anywhere in the city. It is is surrounded by a double ring of fortified walls. It's likely that this fortress may have to have served as a shelter in Hittite times. The outer ring of walls, which today was built in the ninth century under Emperor Michael II. The inner walls date back to the sixth century.
The inner four-storey fortress, partly built with Ankara stone and Ankara stone as well as with the use of spolien. The stones for the construction of the walls were taken from ruins of ancient buildings from antiquity. The height of the towers in the inner fortress, vary between fourteen and sixteen metres. In the fortress today. seventeenth-century Ottoman Ankara houses have been preserved in the fortress.
The citadel had the heavy and important task of repelling and defending attacks on the frontiers, and thus, being a kind of "frontier post," it was always to be in a in a state of military readiness to repel the enemy.
You can enter the fortress through a gate located under the tower, decorated with a clock with a large dial. The walls surrounding the inner perimeter walls surrounding the inner perimeter of the fortress is about eight metres with the walls themselves being twelve metres high. metres. The highest point here is the White Fortress, which has been well preserved to this day. which has been well preserved to this day. There is also a small mosque built in the twelfth century. in the twelfth century. In the fortress you can climb the tower on the eastern side and enjoy the view. eastern side of the fortress and enjoy the wonderful view of the city from there.
Around the Citadel, the streets of the old town spread out on the ledges of the hill. Here still looks like it did a hundred or two years ago. Some of the inhabitants have built their houses right up against the fortress walls.
At the moment, most of the old buildings located on the territory of the fortress have been converted for modern use - for example, in some of them there are souvenir shops and souvenir shops. souvenir shops and cosy restaurants. There are traditional Turkish handicrafts, carpets traditional Turkish handicrafts, carpets and antiques for sale. Most buildings are protected by the UNESCO organisation.
