the Turkish armies. With time this building became inadequate and the task of turning it into a more suitable residence was given to the architect Vedat Bey.
The work was completed in 1924 and the building served as the first presidential palace until 1932 when it was superseded by the New Presidential Kiosk. In 1950 the building was opened to the pulbic as the Atatürk Museum, displaying items used by Atatürk in their original setting.
On entering through glass entrance door of the museum, ona comes first to a small hall decorated with mirrors and then to a larger hall. To the right is a general visitors reception room called the "Green Room"; to the left is another room divided into two section for receiving envoys and foreign visitors. Facing the entrance are the dining room and "tower room".
Stairs lead to the upper storey, where one first comes to a small bedroom on the right-hand side. From here a door gives access to the upstairs anteroom. This room has a typical oriental appearance, being furnished with carpets, a divan and a brazier. It has a balcony overlooking the city on the side above the main entrance. The anteroom leads to Atatürk's bedroom and the suite bathroom. The tower room next to the bedroom was made into a library and study. Book shelves are also arranged along the glass-paned corridor between the bedroom and tower room. The library has windows looking out to the front and side of the building and its walls are lined with walnut coloured old-style shelves and glass-fronted cupboards. In the middle there are sofas and a large desk at which Atatürk wrote his most famous speech, the "Big Nutuk". The polygonal tower room with its conical roof and the library were Atatürk's favourite places, where he shut himself in and worked for days at a stretch.
Both the upper and the lower storey of the kiosk were decorated according to Atatürk's tastes. The furniture, the ceiling ornaments and the wood, plaster and tile decorations are some of the finest examples of Turkish handicrafts.
The kiosk, presantly colsed to visitors, is one of Ankara's most attractive buildings with its well kept garden and trees. It is also one of the city's most prominent sights, being the place where the "Great Leaden" Atatürk spent ten years of his life and where cherished memories of him are kept alive.