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The Roman Baths of Ankara (Ankara Roma Hamamı) are a ruined Roman bath complex in Ankara, Turkey. It’s located in the Ulus district.
History of the Roman Baths of Ankara
The Roman Baths of Ankara were built by Roman Emperor Caracalla in the early 3rd century when the city was known as Ancyra. They were in use until the 8th century when they were destroyed by fire. The ruins, which take up an area of around 65,000 square meters, were excavated between 1937 and 1944. They were opened as an open-air museum after works on the site between 1997 and 2001.
Visiting the Roman Baths of Ankara
The Roman Baths of Ankara are open daily. Admission for foreigners is €3 (as of March 2024). The entrance to the site is on Çankırı Avenue. Check the official website for more info. During my visit, the site was a bit neglected. They definitely need to update the signs and interpretive panels, which is obvious from the maps below.
Palaestra
The entrance to the site leads up to the palaestra, which was surrounded by a colonnaded portico. There were 128 marble columns with 32 on each side.
The palaestra is now ruined and used to display grave steles, sarcophagi, tablets, architectural pieces, and other fragments.
One of the interesting pieces I found was a Roman grave stele that was recycled and used as an Armenian tombstone. The stele is engraved with Armenian writing and the year 1861. Another is a Byzantine gravestone.
Bath Complex
Directly behind the palaestra is the bath complex, which consisted of several buildings. First, To the left is a pool and a small frigidarium.
A raised platform to the right allows visitors to view the apoditerium (dressing room). Continuing counterclockwise around the complex is an unusually large caldarium, which was probably due its popularity during the city’s cold winters.
Next were a series of three heated rooms followed by a hypocaust and an unusually large tepidarium.
Behind this area is a display of column capitals and fragments, grave steles, and architectural pieces. One that caught my eye was an Armenian tombstone engraved with the years 1800-1903.
Continuing back to the palaestra, the south side of the complex includes a service tunnel and water depot.
Byzantine Tomb
Down a set of stairs just south of the palaestra is a Byzantine tomb. It dates back to the 3rd or 4th century and was discovered in the 1930s near the Ankara Railway Station. The tomb contained at least three burials. It was moved to its current location and reconstructed at the end of the 1930s.
Balgat Roman Tomb
North of the palaestra is a road with scattered items and fragments. There’s also a 2nd century Roman tomb discovered at a construction site in the Balgat area of Ankara in 1998. The contents of the tomb are on display at the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations.
