Ankara was a minor Anatolian town of about 35,000 people when Mustafa Kemal Ataturk based his independence movement here in 1920; three years later it replaced Istanbul as capital of the new Turkish Republic. Sitting at 938 meters on the Central Anatolian steppe, it has a dry, continental climate that planners answered with wide boulevards, parks and the vast Anitkabir mausoleum complex. With around 5.9 million people it is Turkey's second city, and its concentration of ministries and universities gives it the country's highest share of university graduates. The Angora cat, goat and rabbit all take their names from the city's old name, Angora.
Nights sit around 13°C and afternoons around 27°C, though some days reach 32°C.
Ankara has real seasons: summer afternoons sit around 30°C, winter ones around 6°C.
Some summer days reach 36°C, and some winter nights drop below freezing.
Most of the rain falls in spring, least in summer. In May it rains about 11 days in 30; in July, 2.
Wind is rarely an issue; most months sit between calm and a light breeze. Air quality is worth watching: January averages an AQI of 107, while July clears to 54.
Days stretch to about 14.8 hours of light in June and shrink to 9.2 in December — something to weigh if you work to a fixed timezone.
For what you're after, the best months in Ankara are July – August. Expect fast internet (208 Mbps) and a moderate cost of living (about €1300 a month).
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