Home dedicated to the memory of Atatürk

EDİRNE

The clocks in pensioner C house still show the moment modern Türkiye’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk died in 1938.

So do the calendars and all sort of other trinkets dedicated to the man who built a brand new nation out of the Ottoman Empire's ruins 100 years ago.

As Türkiye celebrates its centenary on Oct. 29, few places look as festive as Çırak’s two-story house, which she has turned into a museum dedicated to the "father of all Turks.”

"He gave us the republic as a gift," the 85-year-old said in the northwestern city of Edirne, pointing to a statue of Atatürk seated in an armchair in her living room.

After a lifetime of hard work in Germany, the mother of two returned to Türkiye in 1985. She began collecting objects related to Atatürk upon her husband's death.

Çırak paid for some of the items and gathered others, such as calendars and notebooks featuring Atatürk that have been released by banks and even the army through the years.

Her house is now a living tribute to Atatürk, its walls and even facade and garden emblazoned with portraits, photos and other tributes to the one-time field marshal.

Her garage serves as a warehouse for all the photos she no longer has room to hang. She dusts them regularly.

Çırak said her passion came from her great-grandfather, whose family was close to Mustafa Kemal's in Thessaloniki, a Greek port city that was once part of the Ottoman Empire where Atatürk was born.

The family met Türkiye’s future hero when he was still an officer in the Ottoman army, where he was doing his military service.

Çırak never misses official commemorations ceremonies and frequently visits schools to talk about Atatürk with younger generations.

After her death, she wants her collection to be donated to a museum, for the benefit of Türkiye and the rest of the world.