The Ethnography Museum of Ankara is a museum of Turkish art and traditional crafts in Ankara’s Namazgah district. Its collections range from Seljuk-era art to rugs, metalwork and manuscripts, and it is about 1.1 km from Business Park, a hotel in central Ankara.
- Location: Hacettepe Mahallesi, Türkocağı Sokak No: 4, Opera, Ankara
- Typical hours: Daily, with seasonal opening times
- Admission: 200 TL for Turkish citizens aged 8 and above; €4 for non-Turkish visitors aged 8 and above
- Collections: Turkish art, folk clothing, rugs, metalwork, ceramics and more
What the museum covers
The Ethnography Museum of Ankara presents Turkish art and material culture from the Seljuk period onward. Its collections include folk clothing and ornaments, rugs and kilims, metalwork, weapons, ceramics, manuscripts, calligraphy and wooden works.
The museum was built on a hill known as Muslim Cemetery in Ankara’s Namazgah district. The site was allotted to the Ministry of Education for a museum on 15 November 1925, and the museum opened to the public on 18 July 1930.
Its entrance hall later served as Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s temporary tomb, from 21 November 1938 until 10 November 1953. The museum reopened to the public in 1956.
Collections and highlights
Traditional crafts and works of art form the core of the museum’s collection, with objects spanning several types of material and technique. Rugs and kilims sit alongside metalwork, ceramics and wooden works, while manuscripts and calligraphy offer another view of Turkish artistic traditions.
The museum has nine permanent exhibition halls and one temporary exhibition hall. Its facilities include a café, restrooms and car parking.
How do you get from Kızılay to the museum?
The museum is at Türkocağı Sokak No: 4 in the Opera area of Ankara. From Kızılay, you can use the city’s streets to reach the museum; the address is Hacettepe Mahallesi, Türkocağı Sokak No: 4, Opera, Ankara.
If you’re planning a wider visit, the one-day Ankara route through the Old City can help you place the museum within a day of sightseeing.
Hours, tickets and visitor rules
TurkishMuseums gives the museum’s seasonal schedule: it is open daily from 08:30–19:00 from 1 May to 1 October, with the ticket office closing at 18:30; from 1 October to 1 May, hours are 09:00–17:30 and the ticket office closes at 17:00.
Admission is 200 TL for Turkish citizens aged 8 and above and €4 for non-Turkish visitors aged 8 and above. Turkish citizens aged 0–18 and those aged 65 and above enter free, and Turkish citizens’ MüzeKart is valid.
Non-Turkish children aged 0–8 enter free, while non-Turkish visitors aged 8–18 pay €4. Free admission is also available to university students studying art history, archaeology and museum departments.
Opening times and admission details can change, so check the official site before you go. The museum’s telephone numbers are +90 312 311 3007 and +90 312 311 9556.
Allowing time for a museum visit
The museum’s range of collection types gives you several subjects to explore, from clothing and ornaments to ceramics and calligraphy. Its permanent galleries and temporary exhibition hall provide the setting for those displays. For a broader day in the city, you can pair the visit with other stops on a route around Ankara from Kızılay.
FAQs
Where is the Ethnography Museum of Ankara?
It is at Hacettepe Mahallesi, Türkocağı Sokak No: 4, in the Opera area of Ankara.
What can you see at the museum?
The collections include Turkish art from the Seljuk period onward, as well as folk clothing, rugs, metalwork, weapons, ceramics, manuscripts, calligraphy and wooden works.
Is the museum open every day?
It is open daily. Opening hours vary by season, and the ticket office closes before the museum.
How much is admission?
Standard admission is 200 TL for Turkish citizens aged 8 and above and €4 for non-Turkish visitors aged 8 and above. Free-entry rules apply to some age groups and students.