Samsun Atatürk house preserves communications legacy of Türkiye’s War of Independence
An Atatürk house museum in the northern city of Samsun continues to preserve the communications history of the Turkish War of Independence, more than a century after the modern Türkiye founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk used the building as his headquarters during the early days of the national resistance movement.
After arriving in Samsun on May 19, 1919 — a date regarded as the beginning of Türkiye’s War of Independence — Atatürk traveled to Samsun’s Havza district on May 25. He stayed at the Mesudiye Hotel, which today serves as the Havza Atatürk House Museum.
The museum highlights Havza’s strategic role in wartime communications.
While telegraph services in Samsun were under British control at the time, Havza’s telegraph office operated freely, allowing Atatürk to communicate securely with military commanders across Anatolia, close associates and the Ottoman government in Istanbul.
