Column of Julian

The Column of Julian is a Roman honorary column erected in 362 AD in the civic centre of ancient Ancyra, the capital of the Roman province of Galatia, to commemorate Emperor Julian's visit to the city — his only known visit, and the last documented imperial visit to Ancyra in the Roman period. The column stands approximately 15 metres tall in Government Square (Hükümet Meydanı) in the Ulus district of Ankara, immediately in front of the offices of the Ankara provincial governorate — an administrative continuity that echoes the column's original ceremonial function as a marker of imperial authority. The shaft is constructed from sections of fluted limestone topped with a Corinthian capital. It is one of the best-preserved single Roman columns surviving in Turkey, with the shaft largely intact from the 4th century. The base bears evidence of multiple historical layers: Byzantine-era repairs, Ottoman administrative inscriptions, and modern supporting stonework are all legible in the layered masonry at ground level. A stork's nest has crowned the capital for centuries, a detail noted by travellers from the Ottoman period onward and occasionally still observed. The column stands freely in an open public square and is viewable from the pavement at no charge at any hour of the day. Bilingual Turkish and English interpretive panels at the base describe the column's history concisely. The Column of Julian lies within easy walking distance of the Temple of Augustus, Hacı Bayram Mosque, and the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, making it a natural element of any walking tour of the Ulus historic quarter.