Atatürk Evi

Tuesday — April 20: Part IV

The visit to my last museum of the day was unplanned. I’d been enjoying my day so much that I was looking for an excuse to extend it. Enter into the picture: Atatürk Evi (Atatürk House). The visit did more than extend my time out and about town, it brought me back from the antiquities to the 20th century again. (By the way, the museum is free to the public.)

For those who do not know, Mustafa Kemal led the Turkish national movement in the Turkish War of Independence. As a matter of fact, the name “Atatürk” was given to him to honor his role as the founder of modern Turkey. (Those who’d like to learn more about him, can do so here.)

Atatürk Evi is a neoclassical building with a mixture of Ottoman and Levantine architectural features.

Located in Gündoğdu Square, on the Kordon in Alsancak, the building dates back to 1875-1880. It was built by a local carpet merchant. Following İzmir’s liberation on 9 September 1922, the abandoned house became the headquarters for the Turkish Army. During the February 1923 İzmir Economic Congress, Atatürk carried out his private studies in this building. Later, the Turkish Treasury leased it out as a hotel (Atatürk stayed at this hotel, which was named “Naim Palas”). In 1926, the İzmir Municipality purchased the building, refurbished it, and presented it to Atatürk as a gift. He stayed here during his visits to İzmir between 1930 and 1934. Following his death in 1938, the Municipality expropriated the building, converted it to a museum, and opened it to the public in 1941. Since then, the house has gone through several restorations and refurbishments, the most recent being in 1988. When I asked, I was told that the furnishings in the museum are the same ones Atatürk used (the upholstery and curtains have been changed as the original fabrics had deteriorated beyond repair).

When I visited this museum in 1994, I asked if I could take photographs. The response was: "Yes, but don't take too many." Go figure!!! In any event, the one museum attendant who was on duty didn't say anything to me about photographs this time ... here's your virtual tour.

A bronze bust of Atatürk set against the Turkish flag and a historical photograph
of him are two of the main features of the lobby.

Left: Every clock in the museum is set to 9:05a, the time of Atatürk’s death on 10 November 1938.
Right: The grand staircase leads to the first floor, where Atatürk had his private rooms,
including those where he entertained visitors to the residence.

At the top of the stairs is the reception salon.

One of the many historic photographs on the wall of the salon shows Atatürk
saluting the cavalry during a military review.

Library/Conference Room
(note inset — each mahogany chair has a tile in the backrest depicting a scene from Shakespeare’s works)

Dining Room

Atatürk’s Aide-de-Camp’s Room

Guest Bedroom

Atatürk’s Bedroom

Atatürk’s Private Bathroom

Atatürk’s Private Study

I’d love to go back to the museums I visited today, including the Atatürk Evi, and take my long lens along to photograph some of the details that were out of the range of my camera today … maybe next time.

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