Thessaloniki, Greece
I knew very little about Ataturk or the Republic of Turkey before coming to Macedonia (aside from how the Thanksgiving bird came to have the same name as that state*). The name Atatürk means 'Father of the Turks'. There is a brief biography here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/ataturk_kemal.shtml
Visiting Ataturk's house was very educational for me, and exciting because it was the first time I've been admitted to a consulate! The house where Ataturk was born was a gift from Greece to Turkey in 1935, and is located within the gates of the Turkish Consulate in Thessaloniki. To be admitted to the grounds, you first have to locate the intercom system, and then explain your purpose for being there, which I did with some apprehension.
The grounds
The house:
Entryway:
The guide who greeted me directed me to the main entrance, offered me an English-language guidebook about Ataturk, and explained the purposes of the various rooms and their contents. At the time the family lived there, men and women had separate drawing rooms in which they entertained guests, so there was the father's sitting room and the mother's sitting room. The museum contains personal effects such as clothes which belonged to Ataturk, a Koran which belonged to the family, and several sets of the Tasbih, the Islamic prayer beads:
A sitting room:
The parents bedroom (with the Koran on the bedpost)
Kitchen:
A photograph of Ataturk with members of Parliament:
A Turkish newspaper:
Bathroom:
* When the bird we now call a turkey was discovered in North America, the discovers had only seen a similar animal in Turkey. So, they affixed the name to the bird. (Look it up! http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/more/556/ )
