Mehmet Akif Ersoy Evi ve Müzesi is a house museum in Altındağ, Ankara, in the former Taceddin Dergâhı where Mehmet Akif Ersoy lived during the Turkish War of Independence. You can see rooms arranged around the house and the life he led in Ankara, including the setting associated with the writing of the İstiklâl Marşı.
- Location: Hacettepe, Mehmet Akif Ersoy Sk. 9 C, 06230 Altındağ, Ankara
- Setting: within Hacettepe University’s central campus
- Historical connection: Ersoy stayed at Taceddin Dergâhı during the War of Independence
- Nearby site: Taceddin Dergâhı is opposite the museum
The museum and its historical setting
Mehmet Akif Ersoy Evi ve Müzesi preserves the Ankara house associated with the poet’s stay at Taceddin Dergâhı. During the Turkish War of Independence, Ersoy lived there and wrote the İstiklâl Marşı and other poems. He wrote the İstiklâl Marşı in the building’s selamlık section in 1921.
The two-storey wooden building belongs to a larger religious and community setting. Taceddin Dergâhı was repaired in 1826 and later expanded during Sultan Abdülmecit’s reign into a complex with a tomb, lodge house, fountain, cemetery and mosque.
The house became a museum through a City Council decision in 1949. It was restored in 1982 and opened to visitors in 1984. The museum is within the central campus of Hacettepe University, at Hacettepe, Mehmet Akif Ersoy Sk. 9 C, 06230 Altındağ, Ankara. It is distinct from the Mehmet Akif Ersoy Hatıra Evi in Istanbul’s Mısır Apartmanı.
How do you find the museum from Bakanlıklar?
The museum is in Altındağ, within Hacettepe University’s central campus, rather than in Bakanlıklar. Anatolia Luxury Hotel is in Bakanlıklar, and you can use this hotel in Bakanlıklar as your starting point while confirming the route to the museum before setting out.
Use the museum’s full address—Hacettepe, Mehmet Akif Ersoy Sk. 9 C, 06230 Altındağ, Ankara—to identify the destination. The museum is opposite Taceddin Dergâhı, so the two historic sites can be considered together once you arrive.
What does the house museum show?
The displays combine recreated domestic and religious settings with objects linked to Ersoy. In the bedroom and sofa area, mannequins portray him and his companions discussing the War of Independence. On the lower floor, a room from Taceddin Dergâhı is presented with figures making bread as part of dervish life and panels bearing hadiths.
Personal objects on display include Ersoy’s rosary, pocket watch, rifle and glasses. Monitors play a recording about his life. Upstairs, the sitting and meeting room offer another view of the house; the meeting room has a regional Ankara-style ceiling with a decorated hexagonal central panel. Photographs of Ersoy line the wooden-railed stairs leading to the upper floor.
Opening times, admission and visitor rules
Confirm the museum’s current visiting arrangements before planning your visit. The museum is closed on public holidays; check the official site before you go.
Opening hours
- Tuesday to Sunday: 10:00–17:00
- Monday: closed
Last checked November 2026. Hours can change on holidays and for special events.
You can call 0 (312) 309 89 10–11 to confirm hours and visitor arrangements before travelling to the campus.
Allowing time for the surrounding area
Pair the house museum with Taceddin Dergâhı, which stands opposite it and is recommended alongside the museum. Its history as part of a complex that included a tomb, lodge house, fountain, cemetery and mosque gives useful context for the former lodge rooms shown inside the museum.
If you are planning transport around the central districts, this guide to public transport in Bakanlıklar and Kızılay covers that area.
The museum itself is in Altındağ, so confirm the route from your starting point rather than assuming that central Ankara locations share the same access.
For a wider day plan, the one-day Ankara route starting in Bakanlıklar is a relevant companion.
FAQs
Is Mehmet Akif Ersoy Evi ve Müzesi the same as the museum in Istanbul?
No. The Ankara house museum in Altındağ is distinct from the Mehmet Akif Ersoy Hatıra Evi in Istanbul’s Mısır Apartmanı.
Where did Mehmet Akif Ersoy write the İstiklâl Marşı?
He wrote it in the selamlık section of the building in 1921.
What is close to the museum?
Taceddin Dergâhı is opposite the museum, and it is recommended as a companion visit.
Is the museum on a university campus?
Yes. It is within the boundaries of Hacettepe University’s central campus.