Gaziantep 15 July Democracy Museum

The Gaziantep 15 July Democracy Museum is a museum designed to convey to visitors the events of the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, the public’s resistance, and the subsequent developments through thematic sections, digital technologies, and audiovisual storytelling methods, with the aim of preserving collective memory and transmitting it to future generations.

^{Gaziantep 15 Temmuz Demokrasi Müzesi} (Anadolu Ajansı)

The museum was established to document the events of the night of the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, sustain collective memory, and transmit democratic awareness to future generations.

Turkey’s first democracy museum, located within İstasyon Park in Gaziantep Station Square, was opened to the public in 2017 by Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin and Governor Ali Yerlikaya.^【1】

Within the museum, the events of the night of July 15, 2016 are presented chronologically through digital screens, televisions, phones, and security camera footage. Visitors are offered the opportunity to experience these events with a sense of witnessing.

During their visit, guests can view the events of the coup attempt night in chronological order via phones, tablets, televisions, and security camera monitors. Media recordings and visual materials related to the coup attempt are displayed in exhibition areas, aiming to communicate the events through an immersive narrative.

Additionally, the museum features:

• Visual and audiovisual materials documenting the coup attempt
• A memorial wall bearing the names of the martyrs
• Thematic exhibition areas.

The museum has been designed to evoke a sense of witnessing among visitors, using light and sound installations that reflect the moment when citizens took to the streets in response to the coup attempt. Inside the museum, the events are presented chronologically through digital screens, audiovisual materials, and security camera footage.

Various video installations and audio-light effects are also employed. On the museum’s exterior facade, a memorial wall displays the names of the July 15 martyrs. Overall, the museum stands out as a structure designed around digital storytelling and experiential exhibition techniques.

^{15 Temmuz Demokrasi Müzesi - Kahraman Ömer Halisdemir} (Kültür Portalı)

Within and outside the museum, arrangements have been made to honor the memory of those who lost their lives on the night of July 15. The memorial wall on the exterior facade bears the names of the martyrs.

The 15 July Democracy Museum is visited as one of Gaziantep’s key cultural tourism sites and attracts significant public interest.