Tim Cook visits Anıtkabir in Ankara, then shares tea and simit with Eda Erdem

Apple's Tim Cook visited Anıtkabir, Atatürk's mausoleum in Ankara, ahead of 10 November, then met volleyball star Eda Erdem over Turkish tea and simit.

9 Nov 2026, 15:381 min read

Tim Cook, Apple's longtime chief executive, walking at Anıtkabir, Atatürk's mausoleum in Ankara, Turkey. — Image: NTV.com.tr

Tim Cook's Turkey trip has moved on from Istanbul to Ankara. The man who led Apple for years, and who now chairs its board, visited Anıtkabir (the mausoleum of Atatürk, founder of modern Türkiye) just ahead of 10 November, the day the country commemorates Atatürk's death.

Cook laid flowers at the mausoleum and shared the moment on social media. "It was an honor to visit Anıtkabir in Ankara and pay my respects ahead of the Atatürk Commemoration Day," he wrote.

His Istanbul stop came first: he had visited the Apple store on Bağdat Avenue, one of the city's best-known shopping streets.

In Ankara, Cook also met national team volleyball player Eda Erdem. The two chatted over Turkish tea and simit, the sesame-covered bread ring sold on every corner. Cook called Erdem a "volleyball legend" in his post and thanked her for the lovely conversation and the warm welcome he received in the capital.

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