What Time Is It Now in Ankara, Turkey? A Guide to Turkish Time Zones

If you’re planning a trip to Turkey’s capital city of Ankara or need to coordinate an international call or meeting, you’ll need to know the current local time. Turkey spans multiple time zones which can cause confusion. So what time is it right now in Ankara? How many hours ahead or behind is it from your location? This article will explain Ankara’s time zone and current time so you can easily coordinate schedules across Turkish and global cities.

Overview of Time Zones in Turkey

Turkey is a transcontinental country spanning both Southeastern Europe and Western Asia The country is divided into two primary time zones

• Eastern European Time Zone (EET) – Covers Thrace and the easternmost part of the country. This includes major cities like Istanbul, Edirne, and Tekirdag.

• Further-Eastern European Time Zone (FET) – Covering the majority of Turkey including Ankara. Cities in this zone include Izmir, Bursa Antalya and Adana.

Here’s a map of the Turkish time zones:

![Map of Turkey’s time zones][]

As you can see, Ankara falls within the FET zone along with central and southern Turkey. The EET zone is 2 hours behind, aligning with Eastern Europe.

Up until 2016, Turkey observed Daylight Saving Time shifting clocks forward 1 hour in the spring. However, the country has since abolished DST and maintains standard time year-round.

Next, let’s look specifically at the time in Ankara.

What is the Current Time in Ankara, Turkey?

Ankara is located in the country’s central region in the FET time zone. The current time in Ankara is:

• 9:37 AM on Wednesday, August 28, 2024

This time does not change or shift for Daylight Saving Time since Turkey no longer observes DST.

Ankara and the FET zone are:

• 3 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)
• 2 hours ahead of Eastern European Time (EET)
• 7 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) in North America

• 3 hours if you are on UTC
• 2 hours if you are in Eastern Europe
• 7 hours if you are in New York, Toronto, or other North American eastern cities

This remains constant throughout the year without any DST adjustments.

Key Facts About Ankara’s Time Zone

Here are some key facts to keep in mind about Ankara’s time zone:

• Official time zone name: Further-eastern European Time (FET)
• UTC offset: +3 hours
• Daylight Saving Time: Not observed since 2016
• IANA time zone identifier: Europe/Istanbul
• Observes Turkish Standard Time year-round
• No daylight saving time clock changes
• Same time as Athens, Greece and Kyiv, Ukraine

How Many Hours Ahead is Ankara from Other Global Cities?

To make it easy to compare, here’s a breakdown of how many hours ahead or behind Ankara’s time is relative to other major world cities:

• Los Angeles: 10 hours behind
• New York: 7 hours behind
• London: 2 hours ahead
• Paris: 1 hour ahead
• Moscow: Same time zone
• Dubai: 1 hour behind
• Hong Kong: 5 hours ahead
• Tokyo: 6 hours ahead

You can use these hour offsets to quickly calculate the time in Ankara compared to your own timezone. Just add or subtract the indicated number of hours.

For example, if it’s 1 PM in New York, it’s 8 PM in Ankara (7 hours ahead). If it’s 9 AM in London, it’s also 9 AM concurrently in Ankara.

Why Turkey Abolished Daylight Saving Time

Up until recently, Turkey observed Daylight Saving Time like most of Europe and North America. Clocks shifted 1 hour forward in the springtime.

However, in September 2016, Turkey decided to abolish DST and remain on standard time permanently instead. This means Turkish time zones like Ankara’s no longer shift forward for daylight time.

The change aimed to improve public health and safety by avoiding the effects of DST clock changes. Abolishing DST provides a more consistent time schedule year-round.

So Turkey now remains on Turkish Standard Time (TST) or Turkey Time (TRT) throughout the calendar. The time in Ankara and across Turkey does not change.

How to Convert Ankara Time to Your Local Time

Converting between Ankara time and your own timezone is straightforward thanks to time zone converters online.

The steps are:

1. Look up the current local time in Ankara, Turkey.

2. Enter your city in the time converter’s second box.

3. The tool will compare the two times and show the difference.

Some handy converters include:

• Time Zone Converter on TimeandDate.com
• Worldtime Buddy
• Time Zone Converter by The Time Zone Converter

These let you instantly compare Ankara time to any city worldwide.

You can also add Ankara to your list of favorite cities in time zone apps or sites like Time.is. This makes it easy to track Turkish time alongside your own timezone.

The Bottom Line

Ankara, Turkey follows Further-eastern European Time (FET) which is 3 hours ahead of UTC. The current time in Ankara is 9:37 AM on Wednesday.

Since abolishing DST, Ankara remains steadily on FET or Turkey Time year-round with no daylight saving time. This keeps schedules consistent without biannual clock changes.

When coordinating calls or trips involving Ankara, remember it’s 2 hours ahead of Eastern Europe, 7 hours ahead of New York, and 1 hour behind Dubai. Using online time converters makes it easy to compare Ankara’s time zone to your own location.