Kızılay is the modern centre of Ankara — a grid of wide avenues with banks, ministries, bookshops, cafes, and the busiest metro junction in the city. The name (meaning "Red Crescent") comes from the Turkish Red Crescent organisation, which had its headquarters here. The neighbourhood is where students, civil servants, and professionals come to eat, drink, and walk in the evenings.
The streets around Selanik and Karanfil Caddesi are lined with restaurants and small bars. The main bookshop district — a concentration of secondhand and new bookshops rare for a city this size — runs along Yüksel Caddesi. The Güvenpark in the middle of the district is a pleasant spot for a coffee between sights.