Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is a name that is sealed on the 20th century. He was a leader renowned for his bravery and revolutionary leadership. The War of Independence and the Republic of Turkey established by Atatürk stand out as an immortal monument of the Turkish nation for freedom and independence. When it was decided to build a world class memorial to the genius who lives eternally deep in the hearts of the Turkish nation, various hilly locations in Ankara were considered as possible sites. Among those choices were Çankaya where Atatürk had lived in the presidential palace, Ankara Castle, Youth Park, Forest Farm and ‘Rasattepe’.
The latter, Rasattepe, was deemed most logical. It was an impressive area standing at the gateway of Ankara and, like Çankaya and Ankara Castle, it was set between two hills.
At first, a 542,000 square metre area was expropirated, this was extended to 671,000, and in the end the area was widened to 750,000 square metres. A commission was formed to determine the characteristics of the tomb of Atatürk in Ankara.