The National Struggle Museum sheds light on the history of Gaziantep.

During the period of the War of Independence, the epic struggle of the people of Gaziantep, who resisted the occupying forces of the time with the motto “If I die, I become a martyr; if I remain, I become a veteran,” is preserved at the Şahinbey National Struggle Museum.
The Şahinbey National Struggle Museum was restored and transformed into a museum by the Şahinbey Municipality with the aim of passing on the heroic and epic struggle of the people of Gaziantep during the War of Independence to future generations. The museum vividly recounts the struggle of Gaziantep against the occupiers for 11 months in all its details. Despite difficult conditions and impossibilities, the people of Gaziantep, aged 7 to 70, visit the Şahinbey National Struggle Museum, which narrates the defense of Antep, to remember the epic struggle of their ancestors, even a century after their victory against the occupying French forces.

It attracts intense interest
In the museum, which tells the story of the exemplary liberation epic of Gaziantep, who united as a single fist against the French and British during the War of Independence, visitors are introduced to the epic struggle, wax figures, sound effects, and narratives by professional guides. Many historical items used by the people, such as pistols, rifles, swords, daggers, meat cleavers, picks, shovels, and scythes, are also exhibited in the cave where life from that period is displayed. The Şahinbey National Struggle Museum, which is very popular and always has visitors, has been met with great interest since its opening. The museum, which has been flooded with visitors since it opened and brings the epic struggle in the defense of Antep back to life, has also attracted significant interest from visitors coming from many provinces across Turkey, in addition to the people of Gaziantep.

“The spirit of history lives in the Şahinbey National Struggle Museum”
Şahinbey Mayor Mehmet Tahmazoğlu stated that the Şahinbey National Struggle Museum is a reflection of the past, saying, “This place was used by the Central Committee in the establishment of Gaziantep. During the War of Independence, whenever there were raids, they managed the war from here by using these tunnels to exit from different locations. This is one of the most important places that has hosted many events during Gaziantep’s War of Independence. We are at the place where our national poet Mehmet Akif Ersoy said, ‘Do not pass by saying the places you step are land, know! Think of the thousands lying without shrouds beneath. You are the son of a martyr, do not hurt, it’s a shame for your ancestor: Do not give this heavenly homeland even if you take the worlds.’ This place, one of the most difficult locations during the War of Independence, is a museum where young people can see their history more clearly and direct their futures. At the Şahinbey National Struggle Museum, where history gains a soul, it is very clearly narrated that ‘faith, not opportunity, prevails.’