Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatür

Ankara, the capital of Turkiye, is about two hours drive from Bolu.  This is where the final resting place of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is located.

We read in our history book about Mustafa Kemal, the founding father of the Republic of Turkey. 

On 16 October, we got the chance to visit Anıtkabir, which is the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. It was opened for visits on 1 September 1953.

The mausoleum is a distance away from the main road.  The tree lined road we walked through is known as the Peace Park in honor of Atatürk's famous expression "Peace at home, peace in the world." 

I read from Wikipedia that there are around 50,000 decorative trees, flowers and shrubs in 104 varieties, donated from around 25 countries.

These are trees we could see facing the mausoleum. 

We had to go through security before we can enter the site.

The building did not look impressive when we first looked at it.

That is till we walked up a flight of steps, seen in this photo.

If you refer to the plan I shared below, you will get an idea where the WC is located on the ground level.  

The canteen and souvenir shop is also on the ground floor.  This was where we were told to wait once we were done visiting the site.

The mausoleum actually sits on a hilltop and it is huge.  

It was built on a site known as Rasattepe (Observation Hill), which is a central location in Ankara and could be seen from all parts of the city. 

It is a popular site for tourist visits.

We found a floor plan of Anıtkabir on a stand.

With this guide, I should be able to name the places our photos were taken.

At certain times of the day, there will be the changing of guards ceremony and we were lucky that it started just as we reached the top.  This ceremony occured at the Ceremonial Ground.

Here is a photo of the new guard on duty.

Here is the other. 

I like this video which I found on YouTube.  It is also about the guard changing ceremony but it was held right at the entrance of the mausoleum.  It will give you an idea how large the site is.

It is not just a final resting place of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. According to Wikipedia, it is also the final resting place of İsmet İnönü, the second President of Turkey.  This video shared its history and provided details of Anıtkabir. It also provided a clearer view of the interior. It also shared a plan of the site.

 

There is a relief sculpture on the left hand side, as you walk up the steps to the mausoleum.  This photo is not very clear as it was taken after a rain.

The mausoleum is just 42-step away.

Once you have reached the top, you will see 5 large copper bowls.

From this photo, you can view in the background, the right hand side of the wall.  It is also installed with 5 large copper bowls.

I like an article I found posted on Nomadic Niko about Anıtkabir.  From there you will see clearer views of the relief sculptures on both sides of the wall. It also explained what the reliefs depict.  You can also read the English translation of the two messages inscribed on the either side of the entrance, shown below. 

There were soldiers guarding the entrance. 

We could see inscribed on the wall of the building, two speeches by Atatürk. 

The interior of the mausoleum is known as the Hall of Honour.

This is where Atatürk's tomb is located.

There is a long pedestrian walkway in the centre on right hand side of the Ceremonial Ground which leads to the the Tower of Independence and Tower of Liberty. 

It is called The Lions Road as it is lined on both sides by twelve pairs of lions.

Here is a clearer view of the sculptures.

We walked to the end of The Lions Road.  At the entrance to the Tower of Liberty are statues of three men.  According to Wikipedia, the man with  helmet and coat represents a Turkish soldier, the man with a book in his hand is an intellectual Turkish youth. Standing behind them in village clothing is a Turkish peasant. 

At the entrance to the Tower of Independence are statues of three women in Turkish national costumes. Two women at the sides are each holding a large wreath made up of grain sheaves reaching to the ground to signify a country of abundance.  One of them is also holding a cup, asking for God's compassion. The woman behind them is crying, with her hand covering her face. 

We could see the clothes, personal belongings and gifts presented to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk exhibited inside the Tower of Liberty.

If you would like to see clearer views of Anıtkabir, check out 360tr Virtual Tour. From there, you can see that the floor of the Ceremonial Ground is actually decorated with 373 rugs and kilims patterns made of black, red, yellow and white travertine.

After this visit, we had our lunch at Anit Lezzet before heading off to Lake Tuz, one of the largest hypersaline lakes in the world.