Anıtkabir

His life full of wars for independence of Turkish country and revolutions to raise the Turkish nation to level of modern civilization, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the leader in the Turkish War of Independence and Turkish Revolutions, died on November 10th 1938.

In the first stage on starting construction, the nationalization procedure was initiated. The construction of Anıtkabir was started in 9th November 1944, with a magnificent ceremony. Construction was completed in 9 years, in 4 stages.
Construction of First Stage: 1944 - 1945
Construction of Second Stage: 1945 - 1950
Construction of Third Stage: 1950
Construction of Fourth Stage: 1950 – 1953

Architectural Properties of Anıtkabir

The period between the years 1940 and 1950 is called “2nd National Architecture Period” in Turkish architecture. In the early 1950s, the influence of the Second National Architectural Movement rapidly faded and the influence of Western architecture intensified. This period, which lasted until the 1960s, and during which an exploration process in education, organization, design and application was predominant, can be regarded as a period of preparation for the emergence of contemporary Turkish architecture. Since the 1960s Turkish architects have been involved in an unending exploration of concepts, scientific principles and aesthetic values in architectural design. This resulted in the emergence of a myriad of approaches and tendencies and led to a dynamic and productive pluralism in architecture. No single vision and no single movement dominate the contemporary Turkish architectural scene. While making contributions emanating from their own creative resources, and from their unique personal or stylistic tendencies, contemporary Turkish architects have tried almost every architectural approach, from the use of fantastic and/or irrational forms to expressionist approaches, from creating monumental symbols to the utilization of traditional elements and from an arabesque search to postmodernist designs. Anıtkabir is one of the best examples for that period. With the properties of this period, Anıtkabir also bears features of Seljuk and Ottoman architecture and ornamental details.

The Architecture of the Mausoleum; in the "Anıtkabir Project", there was a vault section that would rise over colonnade. In the case of lowering the height of the Hail of Honor which was 28 meters long. After the studies of architects, it was found possible to cover the hail of honor with a reinforced concrete ceiling, instead of a stone vault. This change made in the project had reduced the weight of the rising section over the colonnade and, therefore, certain technical risks to result from heavy weight were eliminated further.