Anıtkabir: Visiting Atatürk’s Mausoleum in Ankara

In short: Anıtkabir is the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Republic of Türkiye, on Anıttepe hill in Ankara. It was designed by architects Emin Onat and Orhan Arda, built between 1944 and 1953, and covers about 750,000 m². Visitors walk the Lion Road to a vast ceremonial plaza and the Hall of Honour, and can visit the Atatürk and War of Independence Museum beneath it.

Last checked: 11 November 2026. Opening hours change with the season; check the official visiting hours before you go.

How Anıtkabir was built

• Atatürk’s death: Atatürk died on 10 November 1938. His body rested temporarily at the Ethnography Museum in Ankara until Anıtkabir was finished in 1953.
• The competition: a design competition was announced in 1941 and drew 49 entries. The jury met in March 1942 and chose the design by Emin Onat and Orhan Arda.
• Construction: the foundation ceremony was held on 9 October 1944, and the building was completed in 1953.
• The hill: once called Rasattepe, the hill is now Anıttepe. The site has two parts: the Peace Park and the Monument Block.

What you will see

• The Lion Road: after climbing 26 steps, you walk a 262 m avenue lined with 24 lions in Hittite style.
• Statue groups: at the start of the Lion Road, sculptures by Hüseyin Özkan show three men (a soldier, a young man and a peasant) and three women in national dress, two of them holding a wreath of wheat.
• The Ceremonial Plaza: about 129 × 84 m, able to hold 15,000 people, paved in coloured travertine laid out in 373 kilim-like patterns.
• Ten towers: named Independence, Freedom, Mehmetçik, Defence of Rights, Victory, Peace, 23 April, National Pact, Revolution and Republic.
• The Hall of Honour: reached by 42 steps. Inside stands a single 40-tonne stone cenotaph. Atatürk’s actual grave lies in an octagonal chamber directly below, surrounded by vases of soil from every province of Türkiye.
• İsmet İnönü: the second President of Türkiye, who died on 25 December 1973, is buried at Anıtkabir, with his tomb in the colonnade between the Victory and Peace towers.

The Atatürk and War of Independence Museum

The museum lies beneath the Hall of Honour and is entered from the National Pact Tower. It has four parts: Atatürk’s personal belongings; large panoramas of the Gallipoli campaign and the War of Independence; the national struggle and Atatürk’s reforms; and Atatürk’s library.

Special days

On 10 November, at 09:05, the moment of Atatürk’s death, sirens sound across Türkiye and the country stands in silence, and the main state ceremony takes place at Anıtkabir. Official ceremonies are also held here on national holidays. Expect large crowds and tight security on these days.

Visiting tips

• Entrance: visitors enter the complex at the Tandoğan Gate.
• Hours: Anıtkabir is open every day, with hours that change by season. Check the official website before you go.
• Behaviour: this is a national memorial, so be quiet and respectful, and follow the guards’ instructions.
• Combine it with: the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations and Ankara Castle.

Sources we checked (November 2026): Anıtkabir (official): design competition · Anıtkabir: construction · Anıtkabir: the Monument Block · Anıtkabir: the museum · Anıtkabir: İsmet İnönü’s tomb · Ministry of Culture and Tourism: Anıtkabir · Wikipedia: Anıtkabir · Lonely Planet: Anıtkabir · Daily Sabah: remembering Atatürk · Hürriyet Daily News: 10 November · NTV: 10 November at Anıtkabir (Turkish)

Anıtkabir: questions

Header photo: the Lion Road. Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (resized).