Turkey: Ankara – Ataturk Mausoleum
Moscow has Lenin Mausoleum, Hanoi has Ho Chi Min, and Ankara has Ataturk Mausoleum aka Anitkabir. The massive complex is sitting on a hill just west of the center of Ankara. Ataturk, or as he was known by his birth name as Mustafa Kemal, is the founding father of the independent Turkey and the first President of the Republic. He is widely credit with modernizing the country with his progressive reforms, guided by secularist and nationalistic ideology. The memorial complex of Anitkabir has four parts – the Road of Lions, the Ceremonial Plaza, the Hall of Honor (where the actual tomb is located), and the Peace Park surrounding the whole thing – all very somber and grand. Unfortunately, the actual tomb was off limits due to an official event, so we had to settle for some views from the plaza.
