The construction of a museum situated across from the Beştepe Presidential Complex in Ankara and dedicated to the July 15, 2016 coup attempt has been completed. The July 15 Museum, as it is tentatively titled, is set to open on the third anniversary of the coup attempt.
Located next to a massive monument erected in memory of those who died fighting against the putsch bid, the museum was created upon instructions of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and will be complementary to the Martyrs' Monument. The museum will use modern techniques, lighting and sound effects and videos to give a vivid account of what happened on the night of July 15, 2016, when officers linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) attempted to seize power. Separate sections will be dedicated to the 251 "martyrs" who died resisting the putschists with their life stories in each section.
The museum will also display the private possessions of martyrs and survivors as well as vehicles damaged or destroyed when putschists fired upon citizens or when tanks crushed cars blocking roads. A part of the museum will be dedicated to informing visitors about FETÖ as well as other terrorist groups.
A similar museum is being built near the July 15 Martyrs' Bridge in Istanbul and this museum, named "Memory: July 15 Museum" is set to open on the third anniversary of the bloody attempt as well. The bridge, originally named the Bosporus Bridge, was renamed after 34 people were killed there while trying to persuade putschists to leave the bridge they occupied on the coup night. A monument dedicated to those slain by putschists was also erected near the bridge.
The coup attempt was unprecedented in terms of the culprits and opponents and the unique resistance against the putschists that made it into the history of the Republic of Turkey, which has been accustomed to coups since the first one in 1960.
Unarmed civilians confronted tanks heading to critical locations, such as the presidential complex, where bombs fired by putschists' warplanes killed several during the coup attempt. The coup attempt was the third try by FETÖ to topple the government. Unlike its previous two attempts in 2013, the terrorist group employed its infiltrators in the military; officers who were recruited by the terrorist group secretly from their time in military school, to undertake the coup attempt. The country's elected leaders called on the public "to reclaim democracy" and boosted the morale of crowds who were already gathering in cities to oppose the putschists. Despite the bloodshed that injured hundreds of others, putschists were forced to surrender over increasing public outrage.