Ankara is the second largest city in the country after Istanbul and is a popular tourist destination for visitors from across Europe as well as from India, Asia and the Americas. It is an ancient city that celebrates its cultural heritage but also embraces modernity. Prostitution is legal in Turkey and state-run brothels have long been a feature of the country. However, the current political landscape is far more conservative that it was a decade or so ago and, of the hundreds of these establishments that were operating in , most have been closed down.
The current president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been actively seeking an end to the scale of the sex-industry and has been trying to clamp down on prostitution across Turkey. The ancient city of Ankara has an active but discreet prostitution scene. Image via Flickr. With most of the established brothels being shut, prostitution in Ankara has moved to the streets and online.
However, hookers are warier of plying their trade and face severe punishments if they do not operate within the strict control measures that are in place. A prostitute can be sentenced to up to four years in prison for violating any of the following conditions:. Those who work in the industry face the same problems and pimps, brothel owners and even those who advertise sexual services can be prosecuted under the same laws.
However, fewer licenses are issued for sex workers in Ankara than there used to be. Most sex-workers in Ankara are Turkish but there are also African and Eastern European ladies as well. The nationality of online escorts varies more. You can find escorts using directories where independent and agency girls are active. Most of these services are free to use and they have full details of the girls including photographs, bios and, sometimes, reviews. Ankara can be a lively city, perhaps less so than Istanbul but it does have a lot of bars, clubs and entertainment venues.
However, as with other cities in Turkey, the regulated and licensed prostitution markets are less organised than you would expect considering the trade is legal. You can still find some brothels in the city but most operate for locals only and are difficult to find unless you happen to run into a pimp or prostitute in a bar or club. There are reports of Western tourists being scammed in these situations so it is not recommended that you visit a brothel in Ankara.
