Mogan Gölü

About Mogan Gölü

Mogan Gölü, often simply called the Gölbaşı lake, is a shallow natural lake on the southern edge of Gölbaşı, roughly 20 km south of central Ankara. It formed when silt carried by streams such as the Sukesen, Başpınar, Gölova and Yavrucak blocked an old river valley, and it drains north-east into Eymir Gölü, which receives almost all of its water from Mogan. Its average surface area is about 5 km². In 1990 the lake, its neighbour Eymir and the surrounding marshes were declared the Gölbaşı Special Environmental Protection Area. The wetland is an important bird area: Turkish Wikipedia notes that 226 bird species have been recorded here, with white-headed duck and ferruginous duck among the breeders. A rare knapweed found only here, Centaurea tchihatcheffii, known locally as yanardöner or sevgi çiçeği, grows on the shore and flowers in May and June. For most visitors Mogan means its lakeside parks. Mogan Park, on the Haymana road shore, is a large municipal recreation area with picnic lawns, an island reached by suspension bridges, a wooden shoreline promenade about 4 km long, running and walking paths, tennis courts, children's playgrounds, a 25 m lighthouse with a viewing balcony and an open-air amphitheatre. Cafés and restaurants line the water. In the town centre, Atatürk Sahil Parkı hosts festivals and has a tea garden, a tourist information office and walking paths. The lake is reachable by public transport from many parts of Ankara. The parks are busiest on summer weekends, and the shore is open ground, so bring a hat and sunglasses.