The land upon which the Çankaya Mansion now stands was a vineyard that belonged to Ohannes Kasabian , an Armenian jeweller and merchant . The vineyard and house were confiscated by the Bulgurluzâde family after the Kasabian family fled Ankara to escape the Armenian Genocide and settled in Constantinople . When Mustafa Kemal Atatürk , who would later become the first president of the Republic of Turkey , saw the building in 1921 , he took a strong liking to the property and bought it from Bulgurluzâde Tevfik Efendi for 4500 Liras . When he initially arrived in Ankara in 1919 , Atatürk settled in the Ankara School of Agriculture . Following his election as Speaker of the Grand National Assembly on 23 April , 1920 , he moved into a stone house at the railway station , which was once station master 's lodge , known as the Direction House . In early June 1921 , Atatürk settled in the vineyard lodge , which , after repairs , became known as the Çankaya Mansion
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
Çankaya Mansion