Prayer Times in Ankara

About Prayer Times in Ankara

Ankara, Turkey's capital since 1923, is a city of five million people that functions as the administrative, political, and institutional heart of the Turkish Republic. Unlike the cultural weight of Istanbul, Ankara carries modern Turkey's identity — secular in its republican framework but overwhelmingly Muslim in its population and daily practice. The city is home to the Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı (Directorate of Religious Affairs), the institution that manages all of Turkey's mosques, sets the national prayer schedule, and coordinates the Adhan across the country's 80,000+ mosques.

Turkey's prayer times — including those for Ankara — are calculated by the Diyanet using a precise astronomical method with Fajr at 18° and Isha at 17° solar depression. At 39.9°N latitude, Ankara experiences strong seasonal variation: Isha can extend past 10:00 PM in July and fall before 6:30 PM in December. Fajr ranges from approximately 3:30 AM in midsummer to 6:40 AM in midwinter. The Diyanet's timetables are the sole official reference for all Turkish mosques.

The Kocatepe Mosque, completed in 1987 in a Neo-Ottoman style with four prominent minarets, is Ankara's largest and most recognisable mosque and a defining landmark of the city centre. The Hacı Bayram Mosque, built beside the Roman Temple of Augustus in the old city, is one of Ankara's oldest and most visited sacred sites. As the Diyanet's headquarters are in Ankara, the city also hosts major Islamic academic and publishing institutions that shape Islamic education policy across Turkey and among Turkish communities abroad.