Rahmi M. Koç Museum

The Rahmi M. Koç Museum in Ankara is the capital city branch of the Koç Foundation's industrial and transport heritage museum network, following the original Istanbul location that opened in 1994. The Ankara branch opened in 2005 in a restored 19th-century gasworks complex in the Altındağ district, approximately 500 metres from the city's historic citadel. The main exhibition hall occupies the original gas retort house — a high-ceilinged Victorian industrial building with exposed cast-iron structure, red brick vaulting, and original machinery pits — providing an atmospheric setting for the collection. The museum focuses on Turkish and international technological and industrial heritage from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Automotive exhibits include vintage European and American cars from the 1920s to 1950s, and most notably the Devrim (Revolution) prototype: one of four electric vehicles produced in 1961 as Turkey's first domestically manufactured cars. Only three Devrim vehicles survive and the Ankara example is on permanent display. Aviation exhibits include full-size aircraft and aero-engine displays. Railway exhibits feature steam locomotives and rolling stock. Maritime displays cover ship models and early diving apparatus. Telecommunications exhibits trace the evolution of radio and telephone technology in early Republican Turkey. Interactive exhibits and operating machinery demonstrations give the museum strong appeal for younger visitors as well as adult enthusiasts. An outdoor yard contains large-format exhibits — additional aircraft, rolling stock, and a submarine — accessible as part of general admission. The restored gasworks courtyard houses a well-regarded café-restaurant popular with both museum visitors and local residents.