The tomb of Atatürk is a very significant place to the Turks.  And I gotta tell you, after all this time in Turkey, I was looking forward to seeing this memorial.  This guy Mustafa Kemal, "Atatürk," really molded the Turkey we've been visiting.  He definitely is "Atatürk," The Father of Turkey.

The ceiling of his tomb is gilded.

And apparently that's not his tomb.  His body actually is preserved way down below that thing that looks like a coffin.

Like the Tomb of the Unknowns in the US, Atatürk's tomb is guarded 24 hours a day, the nation's highest honor.

View from the tomb, on a miserable day.

High above Ankara.  The Atatürk Mausoleum sits on a hill west of the city.  Construction began in 1944 and was completed in 1953. 

Ankara skyline.

More Ankara skyline.

The Atatürk Mausoleum.  Vast numbers of ordinary Turks still come to pay their respects.

Another view.

A guard.

Another guard.
This place is genuinely an important shrine for the Turks.  I truly enjoyed the exhibits down below all this, where I learned about Atatürk's brilliant leadership.  We weren't allowed to take pictures.