Turkish State Cemetery Turkish State Cemetery ( ) is a national and military cemetery in Ankara , Turkey , containing the graves of the presidents of Turkey and the high - ranked , close companions - in - arms of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk , the founder of the Republic of Turkey , in the Turkish War of Independence . History . The cemetery was established upon an act dated November 10 , 1981 . It is situated around the " " Karadeniz Havuzu " " ( Black Sea Pool ) on the grounds of the historical " " Atatürk Orman Çiftliği " " ( Atatürk Forest Ranch ) in Ankara . The architect Özgür Ecevit and the agronomist Ekrem Gürenli , who won the contest organized by the Ministry of National Defense in 1982 , designed the state cemetery . It was opened on August 30 , 1988 with a state funeral ceremony for the transferred bodies of two presidents , Cemal Gürsel and Cevdet Sunay , and of 61 commanders of the War of Independence . At the opening ceremony were present , President Kenan Evren , Prime Minister Turgut Özal , and leaders of the political parties represented in the parliament , Erdal İnönü ( SHP ) and Süleyman Demirel ( DYP ) , and members of the President ' s Council . The cemetery is administrated by the Ministry of National Defense . The memorial park . It is memorial park with an area of 536 , 000 m² open to the public , of which 180 , 000 m² is planned and the remaining is green area . The Black Sea Pool , built in 1931 by the order of Atatürk , was restored during the establishment of the state cemetery . The surrounding area of the pool serves today as a recreational park . A road within the cemetery flanked by marble sculptures , called " " Cumhuriyet Tarihi Yolu " " ( History of the Republic Road ) , is dedicated to the milestones in the era of the rebirth of the nation . This collection of artworks features the first - ever large - scale sculpture arrangement in Turkey . The road starts with a statue symbolizing the beginning of the War of Independence by landing Atatürk ’ s in Samsun on May 19 , 1919 . Sculptures remembering the congresses in Erzurum and Sivas , establishment of the new parliament in Ankara follow . In the section of wars , 5 columns stand in the water with inscriptions from the " " Büyük Söylev " " ( Grand Speech ) of Atatürk . A sculpture erected for the Peace Treaty of Lausanne accomplishes this section . Reliefs on both sides of the road in this section describe the foundation of the regular armed forces , First and Second İnönü Battles , Battle of the Sakarya and the Battle of Dumlupınar . The last artwork is a single abstract sculpture symbolizing the abolition of the office of caliphate by the republic . A team of Turkish sculptors led by the renowned artist Rahmi Aksungur created the artworks . The cemetery . A funeral ceremony place borders the graveyard , which is decorated by two sculpture groups on both sides showing scenes from the War of Independence . An octagon structure in the form of a Turkic yurt , called " " Simge " " ( Symbol ) , is found at the end of the ceremony place , which serves as a shelter against bright light , heat or precipitation . A wall under the " " Simge " " memorizes the burials with their names carved on it , and looks like an unfinished one . For every new president of Turkey , a stone is added to this " " Anısal Duvar " " ( Memorial Wall ) to express the continuity of the republic . A flagpole of 25 meters tall is erected in the graveyard of presidents , symbolizing the development of the republic . The state cemetery is served by the city bus line 365 from Kızılay , or public bus line 339 from Sıhhiye Bridge . The museum . Inside the cemetery , a museum exhibits personal belongings , photos and printed media of the burials . It is open weekdays except Monday and Tuesday . Burials . The personalities , who are entitled to be buried in the state cemetery are , according to law , state presidents and commanders of the War of Independence only . In November 2006 , an act of parliament extended the list of persons to prime ministers and speakers of the parliament to enable the burial of former Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit in the state cemetery , who died on November 5 , 2006 . Commanders . 1 Mareşal ( Field marshal ) , 11 Birinci Ferik s , 14 Ferik s , 20 Mirliva s , 14 Miralay ( Colonel ) s and 1 Kaymakam ( Lieutenant Colonel ) , who were selected from companion - in - arms of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in the Turkish War of Independence , in total 61 commanders rest here . But tombs of 11 commanders are empty and only symbolic monument .