İZMİR ATATÜRK MUSEUM
The building located on İzmir Atatürk Caddesi (1. Kordon) was built between 1875 and 1880 by carpet trader TakforEfendi as personal residence. After being abandoned by its owner on 09 September 1922 the building has passed to ownership of the national treasury. When the Turkish Army entered İzmir during Turkish War of Independence they used the building as their headquarters. During his visit to İzmir for 12 February 1923 İzmir Economic Congress Atatürk stayed in this house for the first time, and held his meetings and personal studies at the house. At the end of the Congress the Headquarters was moved, and the building was leased from treasury to NaimBey to be used as a hotel (NaimPalas).
During his visit to İzmir on 16 June 1926Atatürk has stayed in NaimPalas, along with İsmetPasha. On 13 September 1926 the building was purchased by İzmir Municipality, furnished by some new furniture, and presented as a gift to Atatürk. Atatürk has visited İzmir 5 times between the years of 1930 and 1934, and stayed at this house during all his visits. After Atatürk's passing on 10 November 1938 the house was descended to his sister MakbuleBaysan, and on 25 September 1940 the building was expropriated by İzmir Municipality in order to be converted into a museum.
The building was opened as a museum on 11 September 1941, 19th anniversary of Atatürk's first visit to İzmir. The ownership of the building, which was named as Atatürk Provincial Library and İzmir City Atatürk Museum starting from 05 September 1962, was transferred to İzmir Archaeology Museum by Prime Ministry Undersecretariat of Culture through the Ministry of Finance. On 29 September 1978 the building was restored and opened for visitors with a ceremony under the name of Atatürk and Ethnography Museum. After ethnographic pieces were moved to the newly opened Ethnography Museum on 13.05.1988, the museum has served as Atatürk Museum for a time, and was restored again between 1999 and 2001. In 2002 the museum was opened for visitors again.
Built with a neoclassical style in a combination of Ottoman and Levantine architecture, the Museum consists of a basement, ground floor, first floor and a loft. The building is a stonework structure of rectangular plan, with a colonnaded rear façade, and a courtyard of 852 square metres. The front façade also has a bay window on the first floor.
The floor of ground floor is covered with large marble plates.The niches on the right and left hold statues, a large crystal mirror, a portrait of Atatürk and a bust of Atatürk. The meeting room to the right and the three exhibition rooms to the right have 19th century Italian style fireplaces. The boat that carried Atatürk to İzmir during his first visit is displayed on the ground between the double wing marble stairs ascending to the first floor.
At the head of the stairs two bronze knight statuettes are placed as sconces. The stairs platform holds a large mirror, two large ceramic vases and one cast statute.
The first floor houses the rooms personally used by Atatürk. These include one sitting room, one bathroom, one study, one barber room, one guest bedroom, one guardroom, one briefing room (old waiting & reception room), one dining room and one library.
The sitting room contains two seating sets. The bathroom contains a bathtub, five chairs, a mirrored dresser, Atatürk's bathrobe and towel, and two pitchers. The bedroom is furnished with one mahogany bed, one mirrored dresser, two statues, two commodes, two velvet upholstered seats, one sofa, one chaise lounge, one marquise (two seated sofa) and two mirrored wardrobes.
The study contains an oak lined bureau, arranged with the inkstand, ashtray and phone used by Atatürk. The room also contains four leather upholstered chairs, two guest seats and three cabinets.
Dining room contains one mahogany table surrounded with 10 pieces of Cosmos brand chairs, two mirrored dressers, and 10 chairs. In addition to 408 pieces of French (1840 to 1913) monthly encyclopaedias and books related to life and works of Atatürk, the library also contains one mahogany meeting tale, 10 pieces of small mahogany chairs depicting scenes from Shakespeare's plays on the ceramic plates on the backing, and two ceramic vases decorated with snake figures. Furnished according to the fashion of those times, the sitting room and the other rooms are decorated by western bronze figures, cast statues, vases and oil paintings. The floors are covered with Isparta and Uşak carpets, and the Museum is lighted by chandeliers most of which are lift type.
25.05.2018