The Founder of Modern Turkey
To understand why Dolmabahçe Palace holds such emotional significance for Turkish citizens, one must understand who Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was and what he achieved in the span of a single generation.
Born in 1881 in Thessaloniki (then part of the Ottoman Empire, now in Greece), Atatürk rose from a military officer to become the leader of the Turkish War of Independence (1919–1923), the founder of the Republic of Turkey, and its first president. In just fifteen years (1923–1938), he transformed an empire's remnant into a modern nation-state through a sweeping program of reforms:
- Abolished the Ottoman sultanate and caliphate
- Introduced the Latin alphabet, replacing Arabic script
- Established secular law, replacing Islamic şeriat
- Granted women the right to vote (1934 — before France and Italy)
- Reformed education, establishing co-educational public schools
- Adopted the metric system and the Gregorian calendar
- Mandated Western dress codes and banned the fez
These reforms — known as the Atatürk Devrimleri (Atatürk Reforms) — reshaped every aspect of Turkish society. Dolmabahçe Palace was one of the stages on which this transformation unfolded.
Atatürk's Istanbul Years: 1927–1938
Moving Into the Palace
Although Ankara served as the capital of the new Republic, Atatürk spent significant time in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city and cultural center. From 1927 onward, he used Dolmabahçe Palace as his Istanbul residence and working headquarters.
The choice of Dolmabahçe was both practical and symbolic. Practically, it was the most suitable building in Istanbul for housing a head of state and conducting official business. Symbolically, Atatürk's presence in the former sultans' palace sent a clear message: the Republic had inherited the state — but not the sultanate.
Working at the Palace
Atatürk was a tireless worker. At Dolmabahçe, he:
- Received foreign dignitaries in the Ceremonial Hall and the Selamlık reception rooms
- Held working meetings with ministers and advisors
- Drafted reform legislation — Some of the most consequential laws of the early Republic were shaped during his Istanbul stays
- Entertained intellectuals and artists — Atatürk was a patron of the arts and hosted musicians, writers, and academics at the palace
- Studied history — He was working on his theory of Turkish history and language during these years
A Modest Room in an Ornate Palace
Despite the palace's 285 rooms, Atatürk occupied a relatively modest suite in the Harem section. Room 71 served as his bedroom and personal space. The room contains:
- A simple iron-framed bed
- A wooden writing desk
- A few personal items: books, photographs, a clock
- Modest furnishings compared to the elaborate state rooms
This contrast — the founder of a republic living simply within an emperor's palace — captures something essential about Atatürk's character. He was not interested in luxury for its own sake; he was interested in using state institutions, including their buildings, to serve the Republic.
The Final Days: October–November 1938
Declining Health
By the late 1930s, Atatürk's health was failing. Years of intense work, stress, and heavy drinking had taken their toll. He was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver, a condition that progressively worsened throughout 1938.
In October 1938, Atatürk traveled to Istanbul and settled into Dolmabahçe Palace. He was increasingly confined to bed in Room 71, attended by his personal physicians and a small circle of close associates. Despite his weakening condition, he continued to follow political developments and receive visitors when his strength allowed.
November 10, 1938
On the morning of November 10, 1938, at 09:05, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk died in Room 71 of Dolmabahçe Palace. He was 57 years old.
The news stunned Turkey. Atatürk had been more than a president — he was the personal embodiment of the nation's transformation. His death created a grief that was both personal and collective, felt by millions of people who had lived through the revolution he led.
The Stopped Clocks
In the immediate aftermath of Atatürk's death, every clock in Dolmabahçe Palace was stopped at 09:05. This act — born from spontaneous grief rather than any official decree — has been maintained as a tradition for over 85 years. The clocks remain stopped to this day, creating an eerie sense of time frozen at the moment of loss.
The most famous of these clocks is the small clock on the nightstand beside Atatürk's bed in Room 71. It has become one of the most recognizable symbols in Turkish collective memory.
Room 71 Today
Room 71 is preserved exactly as it was on the morning of November 10, 1938:
- The bed is draped with a Turkish flag — red with a white crescent and star
- The clock on the nightstand reads 09:05
- Personal items remain in place: books, papers, photographs
- The atmosphere is one of profound stillness
For many Turkish visitors, entering Room 71 is an intensely emotional experience. School groups, families, and individuals file silently through the room, many with tears in their eyes. The room is not grandly decorated — its power comes entirely from what happened here and what it represents.
November 10 Commemorations
The National Moment of Silence
Every year on November 10 at 09:05, Turkey observes a national moment of silence. Sirens sound across the country. Traffic stops. People stand in place — on streets, in schools, in offices, in factories. For one or two minutes, an entire nation of 85 million people pauses to remember the man who founded their state.
At Dolmabahçe Palace
The commemorations at Dolmabahçe are especially moving:
- The palace opens early and admission is typically free
- Enormous crowds — often exceeding 300,000 in a single day — queue to pass through Room 71
- Wreaths are laid at the entrance
- Military honor guards stand watch
- The Turkish flag flies at half-mast
- Visitors leave flowers, letters, and personal notes
The November 10 ceremony at Dolmabahçe has become one of the most powerful expressions of civic memory in any country. It is not imposed by the state — it is a genuine outpouring of public sentiment that has continued, unbroken, since 1938.
Atatürk's Legacy at the Palace
Dolmabahçe Palace today serves a dual memorial function:
- As a museum of Ottoman imperial history — The palace preserves and displays the material culture of the late Ottoman Empire
- As a shrine to the founder of the Republic — Room 71 and the stopped clocks transform the palace into a site of national memory
This duality is unique. No other palace in the world serves simultaneously as a museum of the regime it was built for and as a memorial to the person who ended that regime. Dolmabahçe Palace embodies the continuity and rupture of Turkish history in a single building.
Visiting Atatürk's Room
- Location: Room 71, Harem section
- Ticket: Combined ticket (₺1,800) or Harem-only ticket (₺400)
- Best time: Early morning for a reflective experience; November 10 for the full commemorative atmosphere
- Photography: Allowed, but many visitors choose not to photograph out of respect
- Duration: Allow at least a few minutes of quiet contemplation in the room itself