Temple of Augustus and Rome

The Temple of Augustus and Rome stands in the Ulus district of Ankara, adjacent to the Hacı Bayram Mosque and within walking distance of Ankara Citadel. Built in the 2nd century BCE as a temple to the Phrygian moon god Men Askaenos, it was rededicated to Augustus and the goddess Roma following the Roman annexation of Galatia in 25 BCE, making it one of the most important monuments of the imperial cult in Anatolia. The temple's twin colonnades of Corinthian columns — now partially standing — originally surrounded a central cella of polished white marble. What makes the site uniquely significant beyond its architectural merit is the Monumentum Ancyranum, a Latin and Greek inscription carved onto the interior walls of the pronaos (entrance porch): a near-complete copy of the Res Gestae Divi Augusti, the official autobiography of the Emperor Augustus cataloguing his achievements, building programmes, and donations to the Roman state. It is the best-preserved copy of this text anywhere in the world. Visitors move around the temple perimeter on a raised walkway, reading the inscription through metal grilles and examining the surviving column drums and entablature fragments. A modest admission fee applies. The site is small and a focused visit takes 30–60 minutes. Morning light falls favourably on the inscription walls. The adjacent Hacı Bayram Mosque complex and the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations a short walk downhill make efficient combined stops. Crowds are generally light except on weekends in peak tourist season.