site.btaTwo Sites in Ankara Included in UNESCO World Heritage List

Two sites in Ankara province, Turkiye, were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 45th meeting of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which took place this month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The news about the inclusion of the ancient city of Gordion and the Aslanhane Mosque greatly pleased the residents of the Turkish capital.

After the sites were included in the list, a huge number of politicians, public figures, and journalists flocked to the two sites. There was especially great interest in the Aslanhane Mosque, located in the historical centre of the Turkish capital.

The mosque, the construction of which dates back to the 13th century, became the second cultural site of Ankara to be included in the list, after the ancient city of Gordion. The Ahi Sherefeddin Mosque or more popularly known as the Aslanhane Mosque, located in the old city of Ankara, in the Ulus district, very close to the popular Ankara Castle, is among the mosques of the Anatolian Seljuk period with wooden columns. 

The temple is among the oldest still existing mosques in Turkiye. It offers a magnificent view of Ankara.

The mosque was built during the reign of the Seljuk ruler Mesud II.

The temple was restored in the 2010-2013 period. The building has a square shape and an area of 400 square metres and has one minaret. Its wooden roof is supported by 24 large wooden columns of walnut wood. It has three gates and 12 windows.

According to legends, there was a lion statue inside the walls of the mosque, which was buried. That is why the mosque's popular name is "Aslanhane", which means the lion's house.

There are legends that the mosque was built by Ahi Sherefeddin and his brother. There is no definite information about the date of construction of the mosque. 
One of the most important features of the building are the materials from the Roman and Byzantine periods. The interior of the mosque is very richly decorated and beautifully designed.

The Director General of the Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, said that he was very happy about the fact that two sites in Ankara were included on the UNESCO World Heritage List, adding that the process was very hard.

The Mayor of Ankara, Mansur Yavas, commented on the X social network that the sites will play an important role in the further development of the capital and its surroundings.

A few days before the mosque and the ancient city of Gordion were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List,  Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy indicated on the X social network that the ancient city of Gordion, one of the most valuable treasures of our Ankara, is already a "world heritage".
The ancient city is located in the area of Polatli city, Ankara district.

The ancient city of Gordion was the capital of the Phrygian civilization and was ruled by the famous king Midas. UNESCO has indicated that Gordion is one of the most valuable historical sites in the Middle East.

An interesting fact is that Yassihuyuk, where the Ancient City of Gordion is located, borders a village inhabited by Bulgarian Turks. Ninety percent of the village's population are Bulgarian Turks, a large part of whom emigrated from Bulgaria as early as the 1920s.