Samsun Gazi Museum

At the entrance to Samsun's Mecidiye bazaar, a two-storey building marks the place where Mustafa Kemal Pasha lodged after landing in the city on 19 May 1919. It was then a hotel called the Mıntıka Palas, and he stayed six days. As the Gazi Museum it now shows objects Atatürk used and keepsakes connected with him.

History

Jean Ionnis Mantika built the Mıntıka Palas Hotel in 1902. Mustafa Kemal Pasha first came to Samsun on 19 May 1919 and spent six days in the hotel. Atatürk returned later: his second visit ran from 20 to 24 September 1924, the third from 16 to 18 September 1928 and the fourth from 22 to 26 November 1930. The people of Samsun presented him with the building, and he lodged in it on those later stays.

After Atatürk's death the property passed first to his sister Makbule Atadan. In 1939 it was handed to the Samsun municipality with the aim of founding a May 19 People's Museum. The upper floor became a museum, while the ground floor served as a chamber theatre between 1985 and 1995. The municipality remained responsible until 1997, when the building went to the Ministry of Culture. After repairs and a new arrangement it opened on 8 November 1998 as the Gazi Museum.

The building

The outer walls of the two-storey building are of load-bearing brick. The inner partitions were made in the bağdadî technique, plaster applied over a lath frame of wood.

Exhibits and visiting

The entrance floor and the upper floor display things Atatürk used and mementos belonging to him. Wax figures of Atatürk and of the eighteen comrades who landed with him at Samsun on 19 May 1919 are among the exhibits that draw attention.

The museum stands in the Kale quarter on Gazi Street and is easily reached by city transport. See the official page for current visiting details.