Mansion
Kavaklıdere
Belkahve, one of the strategic passes east of Izmir, holds a special place in Turkish history as the point where Mustafa Kemal Ataturk first gazed upon Izmir on September 9, 1922. Bornova Municipality opened the Belkahve Ata Memorial House Visitor Center on September 9, 2016, to keep this significance alive. The center offers visitors both the spirit of the War of Independence and the symbolic moment of Izmir's liberation...
Belkahve, one of the strategic passes east of Izmir, holds a special place in Turkish history as the point where Mustafa Kemal Ataturk first gazed upon Izmir on September 9, 1922. Bornova Municipality opened the Belkahve Ata Memorial House Visitor Center on September 9, 2016, to keep this significance alive. The center offers visitors both the spirit of the War of Independence and the symbolic moment of Izmir's liberation...
Belkahve, one of the strategic passes east of İzmir, holds a distinguished place in Turkish history as the point from which Mustafa Kemal Atatürk first gazed upon İzmir on 9 September 1922. Bornova Municipality opened the Belkahve Ata Memorial House Visitor Centre on 9 September 2016 to keep this significance alive. The centre conveys to visitors both the spirit of the War of Independence and the symbolic moment of İzmir's liberation.
At an elevation of 260 metres, the Belkahve Pass served for centuries as the principal gateway from Anatolia to İzmir. Guarded by watchtowers during the Ottoman period, the pass was a strategic centre for both security and communications.
On the morning of 9 September 1922, Atatürk and his command staff paused here to observe the liberation of İzmir, witnessing the Turkish flag being raised over Kadifekale from this very spot. It is recounted that Atatürk addressed İsmet İnönü here with the words: "Paşam, the Anatolian campaign has concluded with honour." Belkahve is therefore a symbolic milestone in the founding of the Turkish Republic.
Created by sculptor Prof. Dr Tankut Öktem, this 16-metre statue of Atatürk in marshal's uniform was for many years one of Turkey's largest Atatürk monuments and has become one of İzmir's landmarks.
The fountain from which Atatürk drank water at Belkahve on 9 September 1922, later restored during the governorship of Kazım Dirik Paşa, holds a cherished place in our collective memory. The fountain's original pediment is now exhibited in the Ata Memorial House.
The building, once used as a coffee house, was nationalised in 1946 and converted into the Belkahve Atatürk Monument. It was subsequently transformed into the Ata Memorial House.
The exhibition space houses numerous original artefacts from the War of Independence and the early Republican period:
The centre also contains an extensive specialist library comprising solely books and newspaper editions relating to Atatürk. The screening room presents films recounting the years of occupation and liberation. The most striking feature of the museum is a life-size hyperrealistic sculpture of Atatürk; visitors may have a commemorative photograph taken here whilst enjoying a cup of sweetened Turkish coffee.
This site, where Atatürk uttered the words "I feared so greatly that something might happen to this city," is today one of İzmir's most significant places of commemoration. With its ceremonial ground, car park, walking paths and the Ata Memorial House, Belkahve serves as a historic meeting point for both Bornova residents and visitors alike.
On September 9, 1922, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk saw Izmir for the first time from Belkahve. To commemorate this moment, a fountain was built between 1926 and 1928 by the Governor of Izmir, Kazim Dirik.
The inscription of the demolished fountain was discovered in 2017 in the garden of Kavaklidere Village Mosque and brought to the Bornova Municipality Belkahve Ata Memorial House.
