Roman Baths of Ankara

The Roman Baths of Ankara, located in Ulus on the road between the castle and Kızılay, preserve one of the more complete examples of Roman bath architecture in Turkey. The above-ground structures have largely gone, but the underground systems — the furnace rooms, hypocaust vaults, and service passages — survive in good condition and give a clear sense of how the baths functioned. The site is open as an archaeological park.

The baths were built in the 3rd century CE when the city, then called Ancyra, was the capital of the Roman province of Galatia. They served both as public bathing facilities and as a social institution of civic life. A small museum at the entrance contextualises the remains with artifacts and explanatory panels.

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The Roman baths were built by Emperor Caracalla in the 3rd century CE and were among the largest in Anatolia at the time of their construction. The underground hypocaust system — the underfloor heating — is especially well-preserved and provides a clear picture of how Roman thermal engineering worked: hot air from furnaces circulated beneath raised floors supported on small brick pillars, warming the bathing rooms above.

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