A Memory That Unites Generations: Türkiye Remembers Atatürk
Anıtkabir Mausoleum in Ankara, the final resting place of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Republic of Türkiye. Photo: A.Savin, Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
On November 10, 2026, Türkiye commemorates Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the military commander, leader of the independence movement and first president of the republic.
Born in Thessaloniki in 1881, Atatürk received a military education and served in the Ottoman army. He became widely known for his role in the Gallipoli campaign during the First World War.
In May 1919, he arrived in Samsun and subsequently led the national independence movement. The Erzurum and Sivas congresses and the opening of the Grand National Assembly in Ankara on April 23, 1920, marked major steps in the creation of a new political order.
Following the War of Independence and the signing of the Treaty of Lausanne on July 24, 1923, the Republic of Türkiye was proclaimed on October 29 of that year. Mustafa Kemal became its first president. His presidency saw wide-ranging reforms in government, education and the economy.
TRT Haber’s historical feature, sourced from Anadolu Ajansı, also recalls that the news agency was established on April 6, 1920, at Atatürk’s initiative to inform the world about the national movement.
Atatürk died at Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul at 9:05 a.m. on November 10, 1938. In 1953, his remains were transferred to Anıtkabir in Ankara, which remains a central site of national remembrance in Türkiye.
Source: TRT Haber / Anadolu Ajansı, November 10, 2026.
