Ankara Museum of the War Of Independence (The First Building of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey)

Ankara Museum of the War Of Independence (The First Building of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey)

The First Turkish Grand National Assembly Building was designed by the Evkaf (Foundations Administration) architect Salim Bey, by order of Enver Pasha, to be used as a clubhouse by the Committee of Union and Progress in 1915, and the task of executing the project was given to Mahmut Şevket (Esendal) Bey, Ankara representative of the Committee of Union and Progress. The project construction work was given to the military architect Hasip Bey, who was in charge of the Corps. Hasip Bey successfully completed the masonry part of the building, but the construction was left unfinished due to the closure of the Committee of Union and Progress; Architect Hasip Bey was also martyred during the War of Independence.

During the period of the National Armistice, between November 1918 and January 1919, a group of British and French soldiers came to Ankara, British soldiers settled in Cebeci and French soldiers settled in the Nation's Garden opposite the Union and Progress Party building. The commander at the head of the French soldiers settled in this building, whose roof has not yet been partially covered. After Mustafa Kemal Pasha landed in Samsun, the British left Ankara after the first serious protest rallies started in Ankara. When Mustafa Kemal Pasha came to Ankara on 27 December 1919, the French left Ankara.

When it was decided to open the Turkish Grand National Assembly on April 23, 1920, it was seen that there was not a building in Ankara with the necessary size and equipment for the Assembly to convene. Under these conditions, it was decided to use the Committee of Union and Progress Club Building, whose construction was unfinished, as the Assembly Building, and the task of repairing and completing the building was given to Necati Bey (later the 1st Term Bursa Deputy).

In accordance with the circular sent by Mustafa Kemal Pasha on behalf of the delegation; The Assembly was opened on April 23, 1920, with an enthusiastic ceremony accompanied by prayers made after the Friday prayer in the Hacı Bayram-ı Veli Mosque after the salahs read before the call to prayer with Buhari, Hatmişerif and Mevlidîşerifs across the country. After the opening speech of Sinop Deputy Şerif Bey, who assumed the duty of temporary chairman as the oldest member, Ankara Deputy Mustafa Kemal Pasha took the floor and made the following statement about which members of the Assembly would be composed of:

“As you know, our Supreme Assembly consists of esteemed deputies who were re-elected with extraordinary powers, and esteemed deputies who came here to save their lives from the offensive and occupied sultanate center. The creation of a Supreme Assembly with the deputies who had fled was only possible with the newly applied election style. At this time, our Assembly has convened legally.”

In the second meeting of the Assembly held on April 24, 1920, Mustafa Kemal Pasha was unanimously elected as the Chairman of the Assembly. Mustafa Kemal Pasha made a long and meaningful speech at this meeting; “There is no longer any power over the Supreme Council.” He emphasized the importance of the Assembly.

The War of Independence resulted in victory as a result of the successful administration of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha and the vital decisions taken in the First Grand National Assembly. On January 20, 1921, the Turkish Constitution of 1921, the first Constitution of the Republic of Turkey, the title of Gazi and the rank of Marshal was given to Mustafa Kemal Pasha on September 19, 1921, our National Anthem on March 12, 1921, and the abolition of the Sultanate on November 1, 1922, was adopted in this parliament. On the other hand, the Peace Treaty of Lausanne on July 24, 1923, Ankara's Becoming the Capital on October 13, 1923, and the Proclamation of the Republic on October 29, 1923 were approved under the roof of this Assembly, and Gazi Mustafa Kemal Pasha was elected President in this Assembly.

The building, which was built with pink-purple local andesite stone known as Ankara stone and is one of the first examples of the "First National Architecture Period Style" in Ankara, was completed with the sacrifices of the people and the tiles brought from the houses of Ankara residents and the Numune School (now Cumhuriyet Primary School) in Ulucanlar. The building, which was used as the Grand National Assembly of Turkey between April 23, 1920 and October 15, 1924, was later used as the Headquarters of the Republican People's Party and also hosted the Law School for a short time in the same period. It was transferred to the Board of Education (Ministry of National Education) in 1952, works were started to transform it into a museum with the decision taken by the Ministry Commission in 1957, and on April 23, 1961, it was opened to the public under the name of "Turkish Grand National Assembly Museum". As a result of the renovation works carried out by the Ministry of Culture within the framework of the "Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of Atatürk's Birth Program", the museum, which was opened to visitors on April 23, 1981 under the name of "the War Of Independence", serves under the responsibility of the Presidency of the Turkish Grand National Assembly.