Atakule
| Atakule | |
|---|---|
The tower, pictured in 2021 | |
Interactive map of the Atakule area | |
| General information | |
| Type | Observation tower Communications tower Shopping mall Restaurant |
| Location | Ankara, Turkey |
| Coordinates | 39°53′10″N 32°51′22″E / 39.88611°N 32.85611°E |
| Opening | 13 October 1989 |
| Height | |
| Roof | 125 m (410 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 4 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Ragıp Buluç |
Atakule is a 125 m (410 ft) high communications and observation tower located in the Çankaya district of central Ankara, Turkey, and is one of the primary landmarks of the city. As the district of Çankaya is itself on a hill, the tower can be spotted from almost anywhere in the city during clear days. The tower was opened on 13 October 1989 by Prime Minister Turgut Özal.
The tower's design came from architect Ragıp Buluç and the construction works lasted from 1987 to 1989. The top section of the tower houses an open terrace and a revolving restaurant named Sevilla, which makes a 360-degree rotation in one hour. On top of Sevilla is another restaurant, Dome, which is non-revolving and located directly under the cupola. Under the terrace is a café, named UFO. The bottom structures house a shopping mall and several indoor and outdoor restaurants.
The Turkish word ata means "ancestor" (or "father" in Old Turkic), which is often used as a nickname (Ata) for Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first President of the Republic of Turkey; while the word kule means "tower".