Anitkabir (Ataturk Mausoleum)

The great leader of Turkish Independence War and Turkish Revolution and the founder of Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s life, with full of struggles for Turkish land's freedom and endeavours to raise the Turkish Nation to the level of contemporary civilization, lasted 57 years. It ended on 10 November 1938 and the great leader passed to eternity.

I. ANITKABIR IDEA

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is a great leader, achieving to make Turkey a member of contemporary civilization with all its institutions, has a special place in the history of humanities. The idea to build a mausoleum to reflect his greatness in every respect and to present his thoughts on principles, his reforms and modernization, was the common desire of the Turkish Nation in deepest grief of losing Atatürk.

anitkabir by doratabanlioglu

II. RASATTEPE (ANITTEPE)

Before building of Anitkabir, Anittepe’s (Monument Hill ) name was Rasattepe (Observation Hill) because there was an observatory on this hill.

There were also tumuluses (graves) belonging to Phrygian civilization of 3rd Century BC on this hill. Archeological excavations took place to remove these tombs after the decision was given to build Anitkabir on Rasattepe. Remains found on these excavations are on display in the museum of Anatolian Civilizations.

III. CONSTRUCTION OF ANITKABIR

The first stage to start the construction was the expropriation of the land after deciding on the Anitkabir project. Actual construction of Anitkabir commenced on 9 October 1944 with a splendid ceremony by laying the first stone of the foundation. Construction of Anitkabir took nine years in four stages.

First stage of the Construction: 1944 - 1945

First stage construction, comprising the excavation and the construction of the retaining wall of Lions Road, started 9 October 1944 and completed in 1945.

 Second Stage of the Construction: 1945 - 1950 Second stage construction, comprising the mausoleum and the auxiliary buildings surrounding the ceremonial ground, started on 29 September 1945 and completed on 8 August 1950. At this stage, due to the problems related to the mausoleum’s masonry and concrete structure foundations, some revisions had to be made. At the end of 1947 the excavation and insulation of the mausoleum foundation was completed and the steel reinforcements for the new 11 m. high concrete foundation, capable of resisting any kind of settlement of the ground, had come to near completion.

Entrance towers, most part of the road network, orchard installations, plantation works and main part of the irrigation systems were also completed at this stage.

Third Stage of the Construction: 1950

The third stage was comprising the construction of the roads leading to the mausoleum, Lions’ alley, ceremonial ground, the mausoleum’s upper-level stone pavement, grand stairs, putting the big tomb stone in its place and installation of electricity, plumbing and heating systems.

Fourth Stage of the Construction: 1950 - 1953

The fourth stage comprised the construction of the Hall of Honours pavement, vaults under side linings, and the Hall of Honour’s perimeter stone profiles and fringe decorations. The fourth stage had started on 20 November 1950 and completed on 1 September 1953.

The Anitkabir project originally had a vaulted ceiling above the mausoleum carried by the perimeter columns. On 4 December 1951 the Government inquired the architects of the possibility of shortening the time of construction by lowering the 28 m. high ceiling of the Hall of Honours.

After studying the subject, architects concluded that it was possible to cover the ceiling with a reinforced concrete slab instead of a stone vault. This change had reduced the weight of the ceiling and, therefore, certain risks were eliminated further.

Easy to process porous travertine with various colours was used on external cladding of the concrete surfaces and marble was used for the inside surfaces of the mausoleum.

White travertine that was used for sculpture groups, for lions figures and the mausoleum colons, is brought in from Pinarbasi town of Kayseri and white travertine used inside the towers is brought in from Polatli and Malikoy. Red and black travertine used for paving the ceremonial ground and floors of towers were brought in from Kayseri, Bogazköprü region and yellow travertine brought in from Cankiri, Eskipazar was used for building the Victory relief, Hall of Honours external walls and perimeter colons of the ceremonial ground.

Red, black and cream colour marbles used on the floor of the Hall of Honours were brought from Hatay, Adana and Canakkale, and for the internal walls, tiger-hide patterned marble from Afyon and green marble brought from Bilecik. Monolithic tomb stone weighing 40 tons was brought from Osmaniye, Adana and the white marble covering sides of the sarcophagus were from Afyon.