ANITKABIR (Ataturk Mausoleum... by Arkeolog
ANITKABIR (Ataturk Mausoleum ):Unlike many famous leaders, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk never requested a monumental tomb for himself. But the adoration and respect shown to him by Turkish people would never have seen him buried in an ordinary place. An international project competition was held for the architecture of a monumental mausoleum for Ataturk after his death. The project of two Turks, Emin Onat and Orhan Arda, was finally selected. The construction of a huge mausoleum similar to the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, was started on the summit of Anittepe, 6 years after his death in 1944 and finished in 9 years. On November 10, 1953 Ataturk was moved there in a gun carriage, from his previous grave at the Museum of Ethnography.
It is an impressive fusion of ancient and modern architectural ideas and remains unsurpassed as an accomplishment of modern Turkish architecture. There is a museum housing writings, letters and items belonging to Ataturk as well as an exhibition of photographs recording important moments in his life and the establishment of the republic.Anitkabir and the museum is open everyday, except Mondays. During the summer, there is a light and sound show in the eveningsOpen daily between 9:00-16:00 except Mondays.
Tel: (312) 231 79 75
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