We had just arrived at the airport in Ankara and Murat picked us up and asked if we wanted to go to the hotel, or to go see something. What the heck, let's go see something. So where are we going? Someplace special was the reply. When we arrived and parked the car, it was not at all apparent where we were, or why anyone would go where we were headed. But we followed Murat through the security, that seemed tight at the time, but which we would learn was nothing unusual by Turkish standards. We headed up the hill and slowly it revealed itself.
It has a name (Anitkabir) but what it is, is the final resting place of MK Atatürk. As you know, Atatürk is revered in Turkey in a way that few leaders anywhere are revered. You cannot walk far in a Turkish city without passing a statue in his honor. So, what is his mausoleum like?
I always thought Napoleon’s tomb was a bit on the excessive side, but then my hero is Thomas Jefferson and I always was impressed by the restraint shown in his marker (not even the biggest in his family's cemetery). Restraint was not shown with Anitkabir. The mausoleum itself is just one part of a sprawling complex set on a hill overlooking Ankara. One gets the feeling that Atatürk's place is there, watching over his country and his capital, even in death.
Anitkabir was not Atatürk's first resting Place. The complex was the product of an elaborate process of design and construction and not completed until 15 years after Atatürk’s death. It was not built just for him. It is also a monument to his achievement, the Turkish republic. It is their ceremonial space, featuring dramatic monumental architecture and massive open spaces to be filled on ceremonial and patriotic locations. And Atatürk is at its center. Makes perfect sense to me.
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