AOÇ Atatürk Evi

About AOÇ Atatürk Evi

AOÇ Atatürk Evi is a full-size replica of the house in Thessaloniki (Selanik) where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was born and spent his childhood. It stands within the grounds of Atatürk Orman Çiftliği (Atatürk Forest Farm) in Yenimahalle and is managed by the farm's directorate. The house was built for the centenary of Atatürk's birth on the initiative of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, whose board decided on the project on 6 November 1980; according to AOÇ, the Çarmıklı brothers had it built. The foundation stone was laid on 19 May 1981 by the then prime minister Bülend Ulusu, and the house opened with a ceremony on 10 November 1981, the anniversary of Atatürk's death. It follows the plan and dimensions of the original and, like it, is three storeys high and painted pink. Visitors enter through a door reached by stone steps into the ground floor, with its stone-paved hall, pantry and servant's room. The second floor has a central hall (sofa), kitchen, sitting room and guest room. On the top floor are the Atatürk Room, with a bronze bust of Atatürk, a Thessaloniki-style brazier and a visitors' book, and the Museum Room, where four display cases hold some of Atatürk's personal belongings: suits including a tailcoat and top hat, a black overcoat and dressing gown, a marshal's cap, scarf, ties, prayer beads, a coffee cup, a walking stick and a riding whip. Entry is free. AOÇ's 2023 activity report says the house is open to visitors six days a week. The farm's website also lists its Museum and Exhibition Hall and the Gazi Orman Çiftliği park among its places to visit.