Turkey Guide
North Central Anatolia
Temple of Augustus and Rome
Address: Follow Hükümet Caddesi and take the first right fork
leads to the remains of the Temple of Augustus and Rome, Ankara's most important ancient monument. Built in honour of Augustus between 25 and 20 BC, after Ankara was made the provincial capital of Galatia, its main claim to fame is an inscription on the outer wall. Detailing the Res Gestae Divi Augusti (Deeds of the Divine Augustus), this was the emperor's political testament, which was carved on every temple of Augustus in the Roman world after his death. The Ankara version is the only one that survives in its entirety. The temple, whose walls alone have endured, was converted into a Christian church around the fifth century AD, and during the fifteenth century it became the medrese of the Hacı Bayram Camii, named after Bayram Veli, founder of the Bayrami order of dervishes and Ankara's most celebrated Muslim saint. His body is buried in the tomb in front of the building.