The building of the First Grand National Assembly of Türkiye is the political venue of the struggle for independence conducted from Ankara. The fundamental decisions taken during the founding process of the Republic of Türkiye were shaped within this structure, and the administrative understanding and legal ground of the new state were established here. Opened on April 23, 1920, the Assembly represents one of the most decisive thresholds in Ankara’s history as the institutional equivalent of the political structure based on national sovereignty.
The construction of the building began during the Ottoman period as a club building for the Committee of Union and Progress. However, the structure could not be completed; under the conditions of the National Struggle, it was rapidly arranged with available means and began to be used as the Assembly building.
The architecture of the First Grand National Assembly building is simple and functional. Far from ostentatious facade arrangements and monumental-scale designs, the structure was arranged in accordance with the conditions and needs of the period. The spatial organization was constructed to serve the execution of Assembly work and the continuation of decision-making processes. With these features, the structure offers important clues regarding the political and social environment of the early Republican period.
The work carried out in the First Assembly determined the political framework of the Republic of Türkiye. Legislative activities, the use of executive power, and the institutionalization of the principle of national sovereignty took place in this venue. The Assembly, where different views were represented together, created a political ground where decisions were taken through negotiation. In this respect, the structure assumed a central role in the formation of Ankara’s political identity.
In this context, the selected texture is located on the ceiling of a room inside the building. The ceiling surface is handled as an element completing the spatial context of the legislative activities and negotiation processes carried out under the roof of the Assembly.
The building of the First Grand National Assembly of Türkiye is the spatial equivalent of the founding will shaped in Ankara. Legislative and administrative activities carried out during the years of the National Struggle were maintained within this structure; decisions determining the fundamental orientations of the new state were taken here. The building was used as the Assembly until the second Assembly building was built right next to it in 1924.
Ankara stone, used on the exterior facade of the structure, is one of the fundamental building elements forming the city’s architectural identity. As a local material, Ankara stone was preferred in many structures in Ankara, especially public buildings, with its durability and simple appearance; it became one of the important elements providing continuity in the city’s architectural texture.
Today, the structure serves as the War of Independence Museum and brings the political memory of the struggle for independence together with visitors. In this context, the selected ceiling texture, as a detail belonging to the interior of the structure, carries the quality of a reminder pointing to this historical space where decisions were made and to the founding will of Ankara.
