Havza Atatürk House Museum

Havza Atatürk House Museum, located in the Havza district of Samsun, is a building originally known as the Mesudiye Hotel, which served as the first headquarters of the National Struggle for Mustafa Kemal Paşa between 25 May and 13 June 1919. It was converted into a museum in 1994 and officially registered as a private museum in 2001 following restoration in accordance with its original design.

Havza Atatürk House and Museum(Cultural Portal)

Historical Significance

Six days after arriving in Samsun on 19 May 1919, Mustafa Kemal Paşa moved his headquarters to Havza and conducted his activities from this building. During his stay in Havza, he received various delegations here and carried out his correspondence from this structure, including the Havza Circulars. The building holds importance due to its role as a headquarters during the National Struggle.

Architectural Features

The building, situated on the main street, is constructed of stone and consists of two stories above ground level. The first floor contains four rooms and the second floor five rooms. The structure has a wooden floor and ceiling and is covered by a hipped roof. On the first floor, two opposite rooms facing northwest and northeast were arranged as a study room and a bedroom respectively.

Havza Atatürk House and Museum(Cultural Portal)

Transformation into a Museum

The building was registered as an immovable cultural heritage by the High Council for Immovable Monuments and Historical Sites on 12 July 1980 under decision number A-2371. It was converted into a museum in 1994 and, following its restoration in 2001, was officially registered as the Havza Atatürk House Museum with private museum status.

Operational History

According to Ottoman land registers, the building was converted into a hotel and put into operation by Hurdazlı İsa Efendi, a prominent figure from Havza. In 1917, İsa Efendi transferred the hotel to Ali Baba, a tenant of the Maarif Hamam. Upon learning of Mustafa Kemal Paşa’s impending arrival in Havza, the district governor Fahri Bey rented the Mesudiye Hotel for one month and allocated it for the use of Paşa and the military and civil officials accompanying him.

Space Usage

One of the rooms on the first floor was used as a study room and the other as a bedroom. In the study room, Mustafa Kemal Paşa received visiting delegations and conducted his correspondence. He rested in the bedroom. Some of the military and civil officials in his entourage were accommodated in the rooms on the upper floor, while others were hosted in residences belonging to prominent residents of Havza.

Exhibition Layout and Thematic Rooms

In the study room, a telegraph machine and the first presidential seal commissioned for the Republic of Türkiye are displayed. The bedroom contains period-appropriate furniture including a bed, mattress and other items. In the Havza Room on the first floor, documents bearing Atatürk’s handwriting and signature, a 12-point question list, photographs from the National Struggle period, and examples of correspondence are exhibited. Other rooms and halls display weapons, books, Atatürk’s dining set, regional clothing, kitchen utensils and various ethnographic artifacts from the National Struggle era. Additionally, rooms named after Havza, Amasya, Erzurum, Sivas and Ankara contain photographs, documents and information related to these cities.