Ataturk Museum is located on Halaskargazi Avenue in the neighbourhood of Şişli. It is named after Ataturk, which means "father of the Turks". Mustafa Kemal was thus honoured by the Turkish people by the Turkish people for the great contribution he made to the formation of the national of the Turkish nation. The beautiful three-storey building served as Ataturk's residence. Mustafa Kemal, after returning from the Syrian front, rented a house in Şişli, where he once lived, together with his sister Mukbule and his mother Zubeida Hanım. The mother and sister moved into the upper floor, Mustafa Kemal himself took up residence on the middle floor, and the ground floor of the house housed his adjutant.
This house was built during the years of occupation of Istanbul (1908), after the World War I and witnessed many meetings and gatherings of Mustafa Kemal and and his associates. The house was previously purchased by the Istanbul Municipality from Tahsin Uzer and was converted into a place to store paintings by prominent artists of the time and many other materials of spiritual and historical value.
The building is a striking example of neoclassical style structures. It consists of three floors and a basement. The museum has a rectangular shape and on the rear façade has a covered gallery. The entire courtyard of the complex covers an area approximately 852 metres.
On the basement floor, the floor is completely covered with marble slabs, on which lies the an Ushak carpet. The carpet is embroidered with saw-tooth patterns in white, black, coffee, beige, green, grey and red. It is trimmed with twisted fringe. The lobby has windows that face the garden and the street. On them have cambric curtains with drapes painted with yellow leaves and blue flowers on a red background. The curtains are panelled at the top and sides with fringed ruffles. There are also statues, a large mirror and a bust of Ataturk. On the left side on the left side of the bust is a desk covered with a blue tablecloth, on which is a notebook for writing down feedback.
To the left and right are rooms with fireplaces that date back to the 19th century. A staircase leads to the first floor, at the top of which are two statuettes of knights made of bronze. Against the wall is a cupboard consisting of two parts. It is decorated with openwork patterns and has two doors and three drawers. In colour, the cabinet harmonises with the colouring of the ceiling and floor of the lobby. There is also a portrait of Atatürk. His personal belongings are also on the first floor. Also there is a meeting room, a living room, a study, a bedroom, a hairdressing salon, waiting lobby, library, dining room and other utility rooms.
In the assembly hall, there is a low round-shaped table, made in the antique style with a green tablecloth spread on it. Around the table there are twelve chairs, and along the walls are ten low chairs (resembling pouffes), their backs decorated with pictures and scenes from the Sakaspere's works. In the centre of the ceiling hangs a gas lamp with a white lampshade of antique style.
In the study stands a mahogany desk, on which are writing instruments used by Ataturk himself. The windows have batiste curtains with lace embroidery on the ends and red satin curtains with beige bows, made in the shape of flowers. The bedspread and pillowcases are made of a fabric of the same colour, over which there is a batiste cape with embroidery and laces around the edges.
The room where Ataturk's personal documents and papers are displayed has the following appearance: the floor of the room is covered with nothing. The floor of the room is uncovered, so as not to distract the attention of visitors from the exhibits. The windows are also covered with modest cambric curtains. There are bookcases and display cases in this room, and photographs on the walls.
Atatürk's personal belongings are displayed in display cases, arranged in the following order order: first display case: a helmet, a sports shirt and a grey suit; second display case: waistcoats in white and black, a cylinder, gloves and a tailcoat; third display case: shoes and a light demi-seasonal coat of black colour; fourth display case: a scarf, a marshal's jacket, a box for storing business cards, a tie, ashtray, a desk bell, two pieces of rosary beads, a cane, a whip, and a coffee cup. Other rooms are decorated with statues, vases, and paintings.
After Atatürk's death, his villa was put under private management and in 1939 it became an evening crafts school for girls and an institute for girls. В 1952, the villa was taken over by the Ministry of Agriculture and until 1980 served as the office of one of its departments. Finally, the mansion was taken over by the Ministry of Culture, which restored the building and made it house-museum.
