Photo: BEFOR01 (CC BY 4.0) · Source Kırıkkale is a Republican-era city that grew from a small village into an industrial town around the munitions and arms factories founded in the 1920s, and became a province in 1989. The MKE Arms Industry Museum, Kapulukaya Dam on the Kızılırmak, the Hasan Dede Tomb at Hasandede, the historic district of Keskin and Mount Dinek are the main stops in the province. Keskin tava, Karaahmetli tokmak köfte and Kılıçlar onions have registered geographical indications.
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6 places worth seeing in Kırıkkale, from historic monuments to natural wonders, grouped by type. Open any of them on the map with a single click.
A museum founded within the MKE Kırıkkale Arms Factory on 15 July 1990 and renovated in 1993. It displays a large number of weapons from the 14th century to the present day, and the industrial history of the city.
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Photo: BEFOR01 (CC BY 4.0) · Source The tomb of Hasan Dede, who holds an important place in the Alevi-Bektashi tradition, in the town of Hasandede in the central district of Kırıkkale. Commemorations held every year welcome thousands of visitors.
View on mapA dam built on the Kızılırmak between 1979 and 1989, supplying Kırıkkale's drinking water and electricity. The reservoir, of about 21 km², and its surroundings are used as picnic areas.
View on mapThe largest district of the province by area, 32 km from Kırıkkale and 102 km from Ankara. It is known for its historic bazaar, its Grand Mosque and the registered Keskin tava.
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Photo: 71ergun (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Source A mountain near Keskin, used for hiking, with highland pastures and wide views.
View on mapThe bank where the Kızılırmak, the longest river in Türkiye, passes close to the city; with its walking and picnic areas it is a place of relaxation for the townspeople.
View on mapKırıkkale lies in Central Anatolia, about 75 km east of Ankara, on the bank of the Kızılırmak. The city is a direct product of the Republic’s drive for industrialisation: in the 1920s the foundations of the munitions factory were laid on the land of the village of Kırık, and its position on the Ankara–Sivas railway and its location in the interior, safe from a defence point of view, were decisive. Kırıkkale, a town of about 3,000 people in 1929, grew rapidly with the arrival of people coming to work in the Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) factories; it became a municipality in 1941 and gained provincial status on 21 June 1989. The Tüpraş Kırıkkale Refinery, founded in later years, strengthened the city’s industrial identity.
The province’s historic roots, however, lie in its districts: Keskin, with its Ottoman-period mosques and its bazaar, is one of the region’s old centres, and the Hasan Dede Tomb at Hasandede is one of the important pilgrimage sites of the Alevi-Bektashi tradition. Kırıkkale University (1992) has brought a student population to the city.
Kırıkkale has a continental climate: winters are cold with snowfall, and summers are hot and dry. Averages for 1963–2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service:
| Month | Avg. high | Avg. low | Rainfall | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4.5 °C | −2.6 °C | 43 mm | 12 |
| February | 7.4 °C | −1.5 °C | 30 mm | 10 |
| March | 12.9 °C | 1.7 °C | 36 mm | 10 |
| April | 18.5 °C | 6.2 °C | 43 mm | 11 |
| May | 23.3 °C | 10.3 °C | 51 mm | 12 |
| June | 27.7 °C | 14.1 °C | 39 mm | 9 |
| July | 31.2 °C | 17.0 °C | 11 mm | 3 |
| August | 31.3 °C | 16.8 °C | 12 mm | 3 |
| September | 27.2 °C | 12.5 °C | 15 mm | 4 |
| October | 20.9 °C | 7.6 °C | 27 mm | 6 |
| November | 13.0 °C | 2.4 °C | 31 mm | 8 |
| December | 6.5 °C | −0.4 °C | 43 mm | 11 |
The best times are April–June and September–October. Days are hot in summer; the area around Kapulukaya Dam and Mount Dinek are favoured for cooling off in summer.
By train: Kırıkkale lies on the Ankara–Sivas high-speed rail line and is reached from Ankara in about half an hour. Main-line trains such as the Ankara–Kayseri service and the Eastern Express also stop in the city.
By air: There is no airport in the province; the nearest is Ankara Esenboğa, about 90 km away.
By road: About 75 km (1 hour) from Ankara; Kırıkkale sits at the junction of the roads to Kırşehir, Çorum and Yozgat.
Day trip from Ankara: Take the high-speed train to Kırıkkale and visit the MKE Arms Industry Museum; have Keskin tava for lunch. In the afternoon, the tomb at Hasandede and the area around Kapulukaya Dam.
Second day – Keskin: Keskin’s bazaar and Grand Mosque; for nature lovers, a hike on Mount Dinek.
Kırıkkale cuisine is the meat-, dough- and pulse-based cuisine of Central Anatolia. The delicacies with registered geographical indications are Kırıkkale Keskin tava, cooked with lamb, onions and tomatoes, Karaahmetli tokmak köfte, Kırıkkale Kılıçlar soğanı (Kılıçlar onions) and Delice doğal kaynak tuzu (Delice natural spring salt). In local cooking, arabaşı (a soup with dough pieces), keşkek (wheat and meat porridge), tarhana (fermented soup mix) and höşmerim (a sweet cheese dessert) are also common.
Kırıkkale province has 9 districts. Explore the places to visit, local dishes and transport in each one.
A dish with a registered geographical indication, cooked with lamb, onions and tomatoes.
Meatballs (köfte) with a registered geographical indication.
A winter soup of Central Anatolia, drunk with pieces of dough.
The main stops are the MKE Arms Industry Museum, the Hasan Dede Tomb at Hasandede, Kapulukaya Dam, Keskin and Mount Dinek.
Keskin tava, Karaahmetli tokmak köfte, the MKE arms factories and its identity as an industrial city.
It became a province on 21 June 1989.
It takes about half an hour on the Ankara–Sivas high-speed train, or about 1 hour by road.
April–June and September–October are the best times.
The information in this guide has been compiled from and checked against the sources below (last checked: 8 October 2026). If you spot an error, please let us know.