İçel - Mersin Atatürk House Museum

The building is situated in the focal point of the city, in one of the most important and busy avenues of Mersin, the “Atatürk Avenue”.This building was built as a residence for German consul Herr Christman for his marriage in 1897 with a lady of the Mavromati family from Mersin. Its architect is not known. The people used to call it the Krizman (Christman) Mansion. Later on it became known as the Mavromati family mansion.

The building, which was built in a 1270 square metres site, was in the possession of the Tahinci family until 1972. The same year it was purchased by Nebil Hayfavi and was used as Toros College (High School) until 1976. After 1976 the building was kept vacant and with a decree taken by the municipality council, it was renamed as the “Atatürk House”.

On 1980 it was decided to nationalize the building and restoration works started. Since 1982 it became in possession of the Ministry of Culture. Approximately US $ 65.000 was spent for the restoration of the building, which was completed in 1992, and it was opened as “Atatürk House and Museum” with an official ceremony on 12 October 1992.

The ground floor of the Mersin Atatürk House and Museum is arranged as the “Atatürk Museum with photographs and documents”. Also, 22 pieces of his personal effects brought in from Anitkabir Museum of Ankara are also in exhibit at this floor.

In the upper floor, where the ethnographical articles are displayed, there are two bedrooms, one study room and four sitting rooms all opening to a large living room.

MERSİN ATATÜRK HOUSE

The founder of the Turkish Republic, the Great Leader Atatürk honoured Mersin, the beautiful Mediterranean city and a commercial centre, by visiting it eight times in various times.

The first visit occurred between 17 - 19 Mart 1923. And the visits made on 20 January - 2 February 1925, 9 - 16 May 1926, 11 - 12 February 1931, 28 January 1933, 20 - 21 February 1935, 19 November 1937 and 20 - 23 May 1938 followed the first one.

During their visit in between 20 January - 2 February 1925, our beloved Atatürk and his wife Latife Hanim were entertained for eleven days with great love and excitement by the people of Mersin, in this building. With the aide of the mansion’s owner Fedon Tahinci, the people of Mersin displayed the most meaningful hospitality by putting up the great leader and his wife in the most splendid building of Mersin. The building they stayed in this visit, now, is utilized as a museum.

Presently the building’s ground floor has a conference room for 50 people, arranged for cultural activities.

The big bedroom situated in the front facade was arranged by the Mersin Maritime Trade Chamber, the living room next to it was arranged by the Chamber of Trade and Industry, and the other rooms were arranged by the Ministry of Culture.

Items with ethnographical values such as carpets, candle holders, clocks, lamps sugar bows, coffee and tea cups, samovar, large brass tray, covers and embroidered napkins and various household goods were obtained from Sivas, Tokat Konya and Ankara Ethnographical Museums. Also, some of the goods are donations of Mehmet and Belkis Akcora family and of Taki Aleksinoglu from Tarsus. The cup that Atatürk had drunk coffee, was donated by Erdal Akalin.

Eskişehir - Atatürk and Culture Museum

Situated in the Arifiye district of the city, the building was built in 1921 and used as the Supreme Court of Appeal. The two-storey building's first floor was built by stone and the second floor by brick masonary.

Atatürk visited Eskisehir sixteen times between the years 1920 and 1938. In order to keep the memories of the Great Leader Atatürk, the first part of the museum, which opened on 1970, was reserved for Atatürk. In here the personal belongings of Atatürk, the gifts presented to him during his visits to Eskisehir and his photographs are exhibited in chronological order.

In the second and the third rooms, the articles with ethnographical values, collected locally and obtained from Topkapi Museum and various photographs taken during Atatürk’s visits to Eskisehir are exhibited.
A collection of meerschaum, which is locally called as “White Gold” showing the stages from the extraction to processing and to its usage are also exhibited in this section.

In the centre room books about Atatürk are exhibited.

Erzurum - Atatürk Museum

The museum is situated on Caykara street, Caykara Avenue. It was built as a mansion by a wealthy man of Erzurum at the end of the XIX. Century. It was used as the German Consulate for 9 months in between 1915 - 1916 and after the liberation of Erzurum it was given to the governor of Erzurum as the residence on 12 March 1918. The governor Mahir Akkaya resided in this building until 3 July 1919 and it was vacated after his departure.

The mansion earned its historical importance when Atatürk, Hüseyin Rauf Bey and his companions settled in on 9 July 1919 and worked on the Erzurum Congress preparations for 52 days, until 29 August 1919. After Atatürk’s departure it continued to be used as the Governor’s residence.

After the declaration of the Republic, when Atatürk arrived in Erzurum again on 13 September 1924, the mayor Nazif Bey, on behalf of the city, had presented him the golden key of the city made by a jeweller and the title of the mansion.

During the years 1930 - 1934 the mansion was assigned as residence to the commanders of the Erzurum Army Corps. After the death of Atatürk the mansion was inherited by his sister Makbule Boysan. According to the title records, after her death, as her wish, the mansion passed to Child Care Foundation on 12 October 1944. The building was used by this Foundation until 1980’s and on 8 May 1984 was transferred to the Ministry of Culture.

The building consisting of a basement, two-storeys and an attic was restored and opened to the visitors as the Atatürk Museum on 3 October 1984.

Ground Floor

After the stone arched entrance, personal belongings, documents and photographs of Kazim Karabekir and Kazim Yurdalan are displayed in the room on the right. From that room you pass to another room where wearing apparel, weapons, photographs and documents of Raif Dinc, the president of the Defence of Rights National Association and the documents of Erzurum Congress are exhibited. In the room situated right across this room you can see the printing machine used for publishing the Turkish newspaper Envari Sarkiye, the unforgettable newspaper of the National Struggle period, Albayrak and the notices of Erzurum Congress.

First Floor

In the first floor at the stair hall you can see the big group photograph of Atatürk and his companions, taken during their second visit to Erzurum and, the armchairs and coffee tables used in those days. From the entry you pass to the hall and to the large room where the photographs of the members of the Erzurum Congress and biographies displayed. From there you can pass to the reception room and to the bedroom.

Erzurum - 23 July Congress Hall

The hall is situated in the Kongre (Congress) Square. It was built in the late XIX. Century.

July 23 Congress Hall building (Atatürk Building Trade High School) now serves as the Fine Arts High School.

The 23 July Erzurum Congress had taken place in the hall of the High School’s first floor. In a fire in 1925 all the timber structure of the building was burned. It was repaired after the fire and opened to service as the Building Trade High School. A hall on the second floor and two rooms opening to that hall have been organized as the Congress Museum. The foundation of the republic was laid down at the Erzurum Congress with Atatürk as the congress president, and the path going to the Turkish Grand National Assembly was opened again in this congress. Therefore this building has a very important place in our Republic’s history.

Having a special museum status within the Ministry of Education, this hall exhibits the photographs of the congress members, biographies, furniture from those days and congress documents.

The building, having a U shape plan, consists of a basement and two floors. The main entrance as the axis the building has a perfectly symmetrical plan. There are two more entrances beside the main entrance. When you go up to the first floor through the stairs you will see the congress hall in front of you. Right across, when you enter the hall, there is the statue of Atatürk, four rows of desks and a map showing from which provinces the delegates arrived are hanged on the walls. The small rooms at the sides of the hall still display the furniture of those days.

Diyarbakır - Atatürk Lodge

The Diyarbakir Atatürk Lodge is 2.5 Km south of the Diyarbakir city walls. Atatürk, after the Gallipoli Wars, by the end of February 1916 was assigned as the commander of the 16 Army Corps at the Eastern Front. On 14 March 1916, he arrived at the Army Corps headquarters in Diyarbakir. The Semanoglu lodge outside the city walls had been allotted to Atatürk's use. Atatürk stayed in this lodge until 27 March 1917. After his assignment as the Commander of the 2 Army, Atatürk arrived again in Diyarbakir and this time stayed in the Pamuk Lodge right outside the Mardin Gate of the walls.

The Diyarbakir Municipality, with a decree taken on 5 April 1926, had given Atatürk the honorary citizenship of Diyarbakir and presented him the Semanoglu Lodge that he stayed during his first appointment. From then on the lodge has been known as the Atatürk Lodge.

The Diyarbakir Atatürk Lodge is a fine example of a typical Diyarbakir house, constructed with black and white hewn stones with a large portico in the front. Water pouring down to a pond from the marble fountain built in to the wall of the portico cools the lodge. The small door on the right hand side of the entrance opens to the kitchen, and the one on the left to the tea room. The study room and the bedrooms are in the upper floor.

After the death of Atatürk, the Atatürk Lodge was restored and opened to the public under the protection of Diyarbakir Municipality.

Denizli - Atatürk and Ethnographical Museum

There is no document relating to the construction date of this building situated in the Ucancibasi district of the city, it is now used as a museum. But, according to the people, it is presumed to have been constructed at the end of the 19th Century by a Greek origin person Kimon Vandazoflus who became a Turkish citizen later on. The two-storey building consists of rooms opening to a hall on each floor. The hall at the top floor which stretches along the width of the building opens to a cantilevered balcony at the front. The rear side opens to a section that was constructed and added to the building later on.

The main walls are of brick masonry and the dividing walls are timber frames. The entrance to the building is through the double timber doors, at the front and the rear. The rectangle windows have low arches. Sash windows are protected by outside shutters opening to both sides. The pitched roof is covered with the Marseille type tiles. There are no other decorations than the plaster mouldings at the tops of the walls in ground floor and decorative pattern on the timber posts carrying the first floor slab. The cultural riches with ethnographical characteristics are displayed in the first floor.

The house, Atatürk stayed during his visit to Denizli was transformed into a museum as well. The wardrobe, the brass bedstead, the divan and a baroque style desk are in exhibit in this museum. One of the rooms was furnished according to the tradition of Denizli region.