
Ankara Castle is located on the edge of a plain in Ankara, through which the Ankara River flows. The Bent Creek, İncesu, and Çubuk Rivers converge on this plain at a point close to the city. Although smaller than the plains where other Anatolian cities were founded, this plain was opened to settlement very early because of its favorable protection.
Ankara's landforms are dominated by plateaus ranging in elevation from 1000 to 1200 meters, deeply dissected by valleys, and ridges and hills several hundred meters above them. The narrow valley of the Bent Creek separated the hill where Ankara Castle stands today from the steep edge of the plateau that dominates the plain, creating a suitable defensive location. The city, which remained in the same location throughout the Hittite, Phrygian, and Galatian periods, remained in place even during the Seljuk and Ottoman periods.