15 Temmuz Demokrasi Müzesi

About 15 Temmuz Demokrasi Müzesi

The 15 July Democracy Museum is a large state museum in Beştepe, Yenimahalle, run by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. It commemorates the coup attempt of 15 July 2016, which the ministry describes as defeated by public resistance; 251 citizens were killed and 2,733 wounded that night. The exhibition is organised into eight themed halls: "Coups in Türkiye and the World", "A Bullet's Threat", "Thrown into Darkness", "The Longest Night", "Those Who Left a Mark", "Sela", "Respect for the Martyrs" and "Democracy Watches". Using digital technology throughout, they tell the story of the day and night of 15 July and the days that followed. The building is striking: apart from an elliptical dome measuring 57 by 75 metres, which covers the 4,283-square-metre "Democracy Watches" hall and is meant to symbolise the nation uniting as one body, the museum is built entirely underground. The ministry gives the museum's size as 65,640 square metres, including temporary exhibition areas, a children's section and parking for 809 vehicles, set within 92,820 square metres of landscaping. On leaving, visitors walk through a valley designed as an open-air exhibition space that leads to the 15 July Martyrs' Monument. The ministry's museum portal lists admission as free and opening hours of 09:00 to 17:00 from Tuesday to Sunday, with the box office closing at 16:30; the museum is closed on Mondays. Its sister museum, the Kahramankazan 15 July Martyrs and Democracy Museum, is run by the same directorate.