The Mother Museum in Ankara is made up of four halls across two buildings, one of two floors and one of a single floor. The words people use for mother greet visitors on the walls at the entrance.
On the first floor of the two-storey building are statues and paintings, along with images of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his mother Zübeyde Hanım colourised by artificial intelligence. Beyond them are the poplin gown and cap Atatürk wore as a child, a prayer rug that belonged to Zübeyde Hanım, and medals of motherhood from a number of countries; mythology and philology are given room here as well. The museum holds paintings, sculpture and collections by many well-known artists on the subject of mothers and children.
On the second floor are the objects of traditional Turkish marriage: the bridal veil, the story of the song sung at the henna night, and the keepsakes given with a trousseau, along with paintings, sculpture and spoken pieces. A figure of Umay Ana, a strong presence in Turkish belief, is presented here together with her story.
The second building shows how the word for mother is written in different languages, with figures of mothers reflecting the culture of each country. Lullabies are sung in six languages, each playing continuously through its own set of headphones, and the room at the centre, which holds a cradle, is closed off by a curtain. The calendar pages for the days on which Mother's Day fell over the years are displayed at the entrance.
The museum pass is not accepted for entry. Bus routes 321 and 392, which pass through Ulus, Kızılay and Sıhhiye, serve the museum.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Ankara as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from 0.4 °C in January to 23.6 °C in August; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in May, June, July, August and September; rainfall is heaviest in May (52 mm) and lightest in August (13 mm). Long-term means for 1927-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
