Trabzon's Atatürk Pavilion located in northeast Türkiye, known as the place where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk wrote his will, attracted a surge of visitors during Qurban Bayram, also known as Eid al-Adha.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk visited Trabzon for the first time on Sept. 15-17, 1924. During his stroll on Soğuksu Mahallesi, he admired the mansion built in 1890 by Konstantin Kabayanidis amid pine forests. In 1930, the mansion was registered by the Trabzon Special Administration and handed over to Atatürk by a delegation formed in Trabzon.
Atatürk stayed in this mansion for two days during his third visit to Trabzon and prepared his will here, leaving all his assets to the Turkish people.
The 133-year-old mansion has since undergone restoration by Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality, completed before the centennial of the republic.
Closed for visits on Sept. 23, 2022, for the restoration, the famous structure reopened to visitors during the republic's centennial celebrations. Atatürk Pavilion, visited by thousands of domestic and foreign tourists every year, also received significant attention during the bayram.
Sedat Akyol, who came from Izmir to Trabzon for the holiday, expressed their intention to visit again, saying: "We toured around, everything is beautifully arranged, we visited all the rooms. God willing, we plan to come again."
Visitor Hatice Sözüpek expressed her feelings about visiting a place touched by such a great leader and founder of the country, saying: "It's such a wonderful feeling that I can't describe, it's my first time here, and it's very beautiful. I'm thinking of coming again. I visited all the rooms thoroughly."
Burak Yıldırım, another visitor from Erzurum, expressed his admiration, saying: "We came from Erzurum and it was wonderful. We were amazed. It's my first time visiting. We explored the lounges, bathrooms, library and every corner. We were impressed. I plan to come again."
