The Atatürk and War of Independence Museum

Atatürk and War of Independence Museum (Turkish: Atatürk ve Kurtuluş Savaşı Müzesi — located in the Anıtkabir complex under the Hall of Honor where the tomb of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is situated, covering an area of 3,000 m² and opened to the public on June 21, 1960 as a historic museum.

The part of the museum between the Misak-ı Millî monument and the İnkılap monument has been operating under the name Atatürk Museum since 1960. This section began construction in November 2001, was completed in nine months, and was combined with new sections; it was opened to the public on August 26, 2002 by President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the Great Offensive.

Museum sections

The museum consists of four sections. The first section contains Atatürk’s personal items, the second section features a panorama of the Gallipoli land and sea battles, the third section presents a panorama of the Sakarya Battle and the Great Offensive, and the fourth section includes a vaulted corridor enriched with photographs and reliefs of Atatürk’s revolutions.

One of the interesting items in the first part is a wax statue of Atatürk and the body of his dog Foks.

The panoramas in the second and third sections tell the stories of the Sakarya Battle and the Turkish War of Independence. In front of the Gallipoli battle panorama, arrows, weapons, cannons, burnt wheels and war carts used in the war are displayed. Visitors who watch the 40‑meter‑long panoramas, whose scenario was written by Turgut Özakman, hear music composed by Muammer Sun, as well as the sounds of gunfire, ship horns, sword clashing, horse hooves and war effects such as “Alloh Alloh”.

The museum entrance contains models of Ataturk's birthplace, the first parliament building, the Turkish Military Academy, a large painting by Turan Erol depicting the Battle of Çanakkale, and various photographs of Ataturk.

Ataturk's personal library

The Ataturk personal library established within the museum was ceremonially opened on June 26, 2005. The library displays 3,123 books belonging to Ataturk.