Çankırı

Çankırı grew below the ancient fortress of Gangra, on a hill overlooking the surrounding valleys. Its long history includes rule by Romans, Byzantines and Turkish dynasties. The tomb of Emir Karatekin, associated with the Turkish conquest of the region, stands within the old castle. Below the height, the town spread along the valley, its quarters gathering around mosques and other foundations.

In the later Middle Ages Çankırı passed from the Candarid principality into Ottoman hands. Sixteenth-century records preserve the names of its neighbourhoods, including Hacı Musa, Hıdırlık and Küçük Minare. Some disappeared from later registers as the town changed. The stone Taş Mescit, surviving from the Seljuk period, remained a reminder of an older centre of learning and religious patronage amid the Ottoman town.