Photos of the official funeral ceremony held for Atatürk on November 21, 1938: Revealed for the first time

Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey, passed away 86 years ago on November 10, 1938. Following Atatürk's death, embalming procedures began. After these procedures concluded on November 11, Atatürk's body was opened for public viewing at the Dolmabahçe Palace.

Following the process that continued until November 18, Atatürk's body was taken to Ankara on November 19. With the ceremony held on November 21, Atatürk's body was brought to the Ethnography Museum, where it would remain temporarily until the completion of Anıtkabir. A ceremony was also held in Anatolia on November 21, 1938. Through archival work conducted by AÇASAM Director Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barış Borlat, photographs of this second day of mourning on November 21 have come to light for the first time.

OFFICIAL DAY OF MOURNING HELD

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barış Borlat stated that a great sorrow began in Anatolia immediately following Atatürk's death on November 10, 1938, noting, “Embalming procedures began immediately after Atatürk's passing, and after these procedures ended on November 11, the process of opening Atatürk's body for viewing in the reception hall of Dolmabahçe Palace came to the agenda, and we see that the public visited Atatürk's body with intense interest starting from November 16.

This process ended on the evening and night of November 18, and we see that Atatürk's body was taken to Ankara on November 19. In fact, we see that preparations for the ceremony to be held across all of Anatolia on November 21, which we are discussing today, had already begun during this period. With an order sent out, it was requested that a ceremony be held in all provinces, districts, and sub-districts on November 21.

Indeed, while the procedures for taking Atatürk to Ankara had begun on November 19, he would reach Ankara on November 20, and we see that preparations for holding a ceremony on November 21 had commenced. It was during this time that we see preparations beginning for a ceremony at the Ethnography Museum, where Atatürk's body would remain until the construction of Anıtkabir.

This ceremony would be held on November 21. But more importantly, it was requested that a ceremony be held simultaneously across all of Anatolia on the same day, November 21. We see that all preparations for this ceremony, which was intended to start at 2:00 PM and last until 5:00 PM, had been made.

We see that along with the ceremonies held in both Istanbul and Ankara on November 21, an official day of mourning was observed throughout all of Anatolia. Ceremonies were held in Urfa, Antep, Patnos, and Kayseri within Anatolia. We see that the ceremony began across all of Anatolia at 2:00 PM with the National Anthem,” he said.

SCHOOLS CLOSED, FLAGS FLOWN AT HALF-MAST

Stating that schools were closed and flags were flown at half-mast across Anatolia on November 21, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barış Borlat said, “We see that the second day of mourning for Atatürk after November 10 was held across all of Anatolia on November 21.

What is more important here is that when looking at these ceremonies, just as we see that there was a massive crowd during the visits to Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, and even that 11 people lost their lives during the stampedes, we see that similarly, a large crowd filled the city squares in Anatolia on November 21, and at the very least, we see that the crowds were sobbing during the ceremonies held next to Atatürk's bust, as reflected in the press of that period.

It is during this second day of mourning on November 21 that the photographs we reached for the first time during our archival work and scans of the local press of the period emerged. These photographs reflect the mood of that day in ceremonies across all of Anatolia.

When looking at the archival documents of the period, it says regarding the November 21 ceremony: ‘It was actually the most important reflection of the unifying spirit of the Republic, the spirit that brought people together.’ With these documents that the public will see for the first time, along with the special photographs in the collection of the period that you have reached, we will see in the best way how the November 21 ceremonies were carried out across all of Anatolia.

Thus, we can say that the second and important part of the great mourning experienced on November 10 for Atatürk also took place on November 21,” he said.

ANATOLIA PAID ITS RESPECTS TO ATATÜRK FOR THE SECOND TIME AND OFFICIALLY ON NOVEMBER 21

Noting that all of Turkey and Anatolia paid their respects to Atatürk for the second time and officially, with civilians and the public together on November 21, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barış Borlat said, “In the official letter sent for the purpose of holding the November 21 ceremony, a sketch was prepared on how the ceremony should be conducted, and we see that the order and preparations at all ceremony points were mentioned in this sketch.

We can say regarding this that the ceremony was held everywhere in Anatolia, from the furthest west, Edirne, to Hakkari, from the north to the south, but more importantly, we see that the ceremonies reached down to the villages.

The archival documents and photographs in our possession show that villagers gathered in village squares, and under the guidance of the teacher at the village school, they sang the National Anthem, followed by the 10th Year March, and a person selected from the students in the village came to the podium to commemorate Atatürk by explaining his life and the revolutions he carried out during that process. When the time reached exactly 4:00 PM, all of Turkey observed a 3-minute moment of silence simultaneously, and especially in city centers on November 21, the areas around the Atatürk statues were illuminated, and we see that soldiers stood guard of honor until the morning.

Thus, we can say that all of Turkey and Anatolia paid their respects to Atatürk for the second time and officially on November 21, with civilians and the public together,” he concluded.