Mausoleum of Zübeyde Hanım

Zübeyde Hanım Monumental Tomb is the monumental tomb of Zübeyde Hanım, the mother of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey, located in İzmir.

It is in the Zübeyde Hanım Park in the district of Karşıyaka. It was commissioned by the İzmir Municipality in 1940. The monument tomb, arranged very simply in accordance with Mustafa Kemal's wish, consists of a ten‑ton stone at the head of the tomb, a relief bust of Zübeyde Hanım on it, and the inscription “Atatürk’s mother Zübeyde is buried here. Death: 1923”.

History

Zübeyde Hanım, who died on 14 January 1923 in İzmir and whose corpse was buried in the courtyard of Ferik Osman Paşa Mosque, remained in the middle of a flower garden until Atatürk’s death.

In order to have a monument‑tomb built for Zübeyde Hanım, the then İzmir Mayor Behçet Uz prepared a project in 1938. When he showed this project to Atatürk, who was visiting him in his sickbed at Dolmabahçe Palace, Atatürk found the project too ornate and costly. He wanted only a heavy stone placed at the head of the tomb and the inscription “Atatürk’s mother Zübeyde is buried here. Death: 1923” on it; because Zübeyde Hanım’s children loved her very much, he also wanted the surroundings to be decorated with a children’s park.

My mother is now beneath this soil; but above this soil, national sovereignty will continue to the end of the world. The area around Zübeyde Hanım’s tomb was arranged after Atatürk’s death in accordance with his final wish. A pink stone, four metres high and weighing ten tons, brought from Mount Küçük Yamanlar, was placed on the tomb. A relief bust of Zübeyde Hanım was placed on the stone.

Every year, on the anniversary of Zübeyde Hanım’s death and on Mother’s Day, commemorative ceremonies are held at the monument tomb.

Before the construction of the monument tomb, the tombstone that was in the grave was moved to the Ayavukla Church in the Basmane district, which served as a museum at the time the monument tomb was built; in 1955 it was placed under protection in the storage of the İzmir Archaeology Museum. The original tombstone has been on display at the İzmir Archaeology Museum since 2005.