The July 15 Memory Museum, established following the July 15 coup attempt by the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), has welcomed nearly 3 million visitors over the past seven years, preserving the memory of the defeated coup attempt while also documenting the history of coups in Türkiye and around the world.

The museum was opened by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2019, on the third anniversary of the coup attempt, and is located on the Asian side of the July 15 Martyrs Bridge.

Situated next to the July 15 Martyrs Monument and described as a "place of memory," the museum consists of two floors.

Featuring a wide range of visual and audio installations related to the coup attempt, the museum also displays numerous personal belongings of martyrs and veterans. Special sections explore the history of colonialism around the world and past coups in Türkiye.

Tuba Danış Ketancı, director of the museum, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the site was specially designed as a place of memory and had been welcoming visitors for seven years.

Ketancı said the July 15 Memory Museum was built following FETÖ's 2016 coup attempt as part of a larger complex designed both as a memorial and a place dedicated to preserving collective memory.

She noted that 253 cypress trees had been planted around the July 15 Martyrs Monument, each representing one of the 253 people killed during the coup attempt.

Inside the museum, she said, visitors could explore not only the events of July 15 but also the history of colonialism, coups around the world and the mechanisms behind military takeovers.

Ketancı said July 15 marked the first time in world history that civilians had stopped a military coup attempt.

"We are in the 10th year of July 15. We say, 'The will is ours, the victory is ours.' Yes, we have suffered losses and our pain is great, but this nation became the first to stop an attempted military coup through the resistance of civilians. We say, 'The time has come to celebrate the victory of this great nation,'" she said.

Ketancı said the museum continued to organize activities for visitors of all ages throughout the year.

"We welcome different age groups, from 7 to 77, throughout the year. We prepare presentations and offer various gifts. So far, we have welcomed nearly 3 million people, and we continue to receive visitors every day," she said.

"Together with our staff and as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, we provide our visitors with a meaningful experience. We receive positive feedback and invite everyone to visit the museum," she added.

Ketancı said footage documenting the events of July 15 was screened inside the museum, alongside a collection of objects linked directly to the night of the coup attempt.

Among the exhibits are the shoes of the 253 martyrs and personal belongings they carried or used that night.

The museum also displays a vehicle crushed by a tank, a veteran's motorcycle, the beret and dagger of martyred Sgt. Ömer Halisdemir, and the mobile phone belonging to journalist Hande Fırat that was used during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's call urging citizens to take to the streets and resist the coup attempt.