Story
The story of Anıtkabir
After Atatürk died on 10 November 1938, his body waited in Ankara's Ethnography Museum until a tomb worthy of him was ready, and it was carried here only at a ceremony on 10 November 1953. The site on Rasattepe was chosen on 17 January 1939, and an international design competition opened on 1 March 1941 was won by Emin Onat and Orhan Arda. The foundation stone was laid on 9 October 1944; built in four parts and slowed by problems, the complex was finished in October 1953. Enter along the Road of Lions, which leads to a ceremonial square framed by colonnades.
The sarcophagus in the Hall of Honour is symbolic: Atatürk lies in a burial chamber on the floor below. Look for the ten towers, two sculpture groups and decoration echoing Hittite, Ancient Greek, Seljuk and Ottoman cultures.
Since 1973 İsmet İnönü's tomb has been here too, and a wooded Peace Park surrounds it all.
This story is compiled from Wikipedia and other open sources; dates and numbers are checked against the source. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Source ↗
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