Turkish State Cemetery facts for kids
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Devlet Mezarlığı
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Otağ (marquee) in the State cemetery.
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| Details | |
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| Established | August 30, 1988 |
| Location | |
| Country | Turkey |
| Type | Military, national |
The Turkish State Cemetery (which in Turkish is called Devlet Mezarlığı) is a special national and military cemetery. It's located in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. This important place holds the graves of Turkey's presidents. It also honors the brave, high-ranking friends and helpers of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Atatürk was the founder of the Republic of Turkey and a hero of the Turkish War of Independence.
Contents
History of the State Cemetery
This special cemetery was created by a law passed on November 10, 1981. It sits on the historic grounds of the "Atatürk Forest Ranch" in Ankara. The cemetery is built around a beautiful area known as the "Black Sea Pool."
Architect Özgür Ecevit and plant expert Ekrem Gürenli designed the cemetery. They won a competition held by the Ministry of National Defense in 1982. The cemetery officially opened on August 30, 1988.
At the opening, a state funeral ceremony took place. The bodies of two former presidents, Cemal Gürsel and Cevdet Sunay, were moved here. Also, 61 commanders from the War of Independence were honored. Important leaders like President Kenan Evren and Prime Minister Turgut Özal attended the ceremony. The Ministry of National Defense manages the cemetery today.
Exploring the Memorial Park
The State Cemetery is also a large memorial park, covering 536,000 square meters. A big part of it is green space, open for everyone to visit. The "Black Sea Pool," which Atatürk himself ordered to be built in 1931, was restored for the cemetery. Now, the area around the pool is a lovely place for people to relax.
The History of the Republic Road
Inside the cemetery, there's a road called "History of the Republic Road" (Cumhuriyet Tarihi Yolu). This road is lined with marble sculptures. These artworks tell the story of important moments when Turkey became a new nation. It's the first time such a large group of sculptures was arranged in Turkey.
The road begins with a statue showing Atatürk landing in Samsun on May 19, 1919. This event marked the start of the War of Independence. Other sculptures remember important meetings, like the Erzurum and Sivas congresses. They also show the creation of the new parliament in Ankara.
Sculptures of Key Battles
In the section about the wars, five columns stand in the water. They have words from Atatürk's "Grand Speech" (Büyük Söylev) carved on them. A sculpture for the Peace Treaty of Lausanne finishes this part. This treaty officially ended the war.
Along both sides of the road, there are reliefs. These artworks show the founding of Turkey's regular army. They also depict famous battles like the First and Second İnönü Battles, the Battle of the Sakarya, and the Battle of Dumlupınar. The last artwork is an abstract sculpture. It represents the end of the caliphate by the new republic. A team of Turkish sculptors, led by the famous artist Rahmi Aksungur, created all these amazing artworks.
The Cemetery Grounds
Next to the burial area is a special place for funeral ceremonies. Two groups of sculptures decorate this area. They show scenes from the War of Independence. At the end of the ceremony place, there's an eight-sided building called "Simge" (Symbol). It looks like a traditional Turkic tent, or yurt. This structure offers shelter from bright sun, heat, or rain.
Under the "Simge" is a wall called the "Memorial Wall" (Anısal Duvar). It has the names of those buried here carved into it. The wall looks unfinished on purpose. For every new president of Turkey, a stone is added to this wall. This shows that the republic will continue forever. A tall flagpole, 25 meters high, stands in the presidents' graveyard. It symbolizes the growth and progress of the republic.
You can reach the state cemetery by city bus line 365 from Kızılay. Public bus line 339 from Sıhhiye Bridge also goes there.
The Cemetery Museum
Inside the cemetery, there is also a museum. It displays personal items, photos, and old newspapers or magazines. These belonged to the important people buried at the cemetery. The museum is open on weekdays, but closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Who is Buried Here?
By law, only state presidents and commanders from the War of Independence were originally allowed to be buried here. However, in November 2006, a new law was passed. It added prime ministers and speakers of the parliament to the list. This change allowed former Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit to be buried here after he passed away in November 2006.
In January 2020, all political parties agreed that Rahşan Ecevit, the wife of a prime minister, could also be buried here. She became the first civilian to be laid to rest in the State Cemetery.
Presidents Buried in the Cemetery
- Cemal Gürsel, Turkey's 4th president
- Cevdet Sunay, Turkey's 5th president
- Fahri Korutürk, Turkey's 6th president
- Kenan Evren, Turkey's 7th president
Prime Ministers Buried in the Cemetery
- Bülent Ecevit, Turkey's 16th prime minister
- Yıldırım Akbulut, Turkey's 20th prime minister
Speakers of the Parliament Buried in the Cemetery
- Ferruh Bozbeyli, 10th speaker
- Sabit Osman Avcı, 12th speaker
- Kemal Güven, 13th speaker
- İsmet Sezgin, 18th speaker
Commanders of the War of Independence
The cemetery has memorials for 61 important companions-in-arms of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. These were leaders from the Turkish War of Independence. They held various high military ranks, from field marshal to colonel. Some of these tombs are symbolic monuments and are empty, as the bodies are buried elsewhere.
- Fevzi Çakmak, field marshal (symbolic tomb, body is in Eyüp Cemetery)
- Ali Fuat Cebesoy, general (symbolic tomb, body is in Geyve)
- Cevat Çobanlı, general
- Yakup Şevki Subaşı, general
- Fahrettin Altay, general
- Kâzım Özalp, general
- Kâzım Karabekir, general
- İzzettin Çalışlar, general
- Kâzım Orbay, general
- Abdurrahman Nafiz Gürman, general
- Salih Omurtak, general
- Mustafa Muğlalı, general (symbolic tomb)
- Cemil Cahit Toydemir, general
- Sabit Noyan, general
- Kâzım İnanç, lieutenant general
- Şükrü Naili Gökberk, lieutenant general
- Ali Hikmet Ayerdem, lieutenant general
- Kemalettin Sami Gökçen, lieutenant general
- Naci Eldeniz, lieutenant general
- Nihat Anılmış, lieutenant general
- Mehmet Kâzım Dirik, lieutenant general
- Nazmi Solok, lieutenant general
- Ahmet Naci Tınaz, lieutenant general
- Ahmet Derviş, lieutenant general (symbolic tomb)
- Mehmet Kenan Dalbaşar, lieutenant general
- Ömer Halis Bıyıktay, lieutenant general
- Yusuf İzzet Met, major general (symbolic tomb)
- Refet Bele, major general (symbolic tomb, body is in Zincirlikuyu Mezarlığı)
- Rüştü Sakarya, major general
- Selâhattin Âdil, major general
- Kâzım Sevüktekin, major general
- Osman Nuri Koptagel, major general
- Hüseyin Nurettin Özsu, major general
- Mehmet Sabri Erçetin, major general
- Mürsel Bakû, major general
- Halit Karsıalan, major general
- Âşir Atlı, major general
- Akif Erdemgil, major general
- Sıtkı Üke, major general
- Mehmet Suphi Kula, major general (symbolic tomb)
- Cavit Erdel, major general
- Alâattin Koval, major general
- Osman Zati Koral, major general
- Ahmet Zeki Soydemir, major general
- Nazif Kayacık, major general
- Mehmet Hayri Tarhan, major general
- Münip Özsoy, brigadier
- Veysel Özgür, brigadier (symbolic tomb)
- Mehmet Arif Örgüç, brigadier
- Şerif Yaçağaz, brigadier (symbolic tomb)
- Ethem Servet Boral, brigadier (symbolic tomb)
- Ahmet Nuri Öztekin, brigadier (symbolic tomb)
- Mehmet Nâzım Bey, brigadier (martyr)
- Hasan Mümtaz Çeçen, brigadier
- Reşat Çiğiltepe, brigadier
- İbrahim Çolak, brigadier
- Mehmet Hulusi Conk, brigadier
- Halit Akmansü, brigadier
- Mehmet Nuri Conker, brigadier
- Ahmet Fuat Bulca, brigadier
- Mahmut Nedim Hendek, colonel
Spouses of Prime Ministers
See also
- List of national cemeteries by country
- List of high-ranking commanders of the Turkish War of Independence
Images for kids
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A statue showing Atatürk landing in Samsun, marking the start of the War of Independence.
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The section dedicated to the important congresses.
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Another view of the congresses section.
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The section honoring the battles fought for independence.
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A relief depicting scenes from the battles.
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Another detailed relief from the battles section.
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A closer look at the battle reliefs.
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The sculpture representing the Peace Treaty of Lausanne.
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An artwork symbolizing the Turkish Republic.
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One of the many sculptures found in the park.
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Another view of a sculpture.
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A different angle of a sculpture.
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The entrance to the Turkish State Cemetery.
