Karacaahmet Cemetery
Encyclopedia
The Karacaahmet Cemetery , located in Üsküdar
district, is the oldest in Istanbul
and, at 750 acres (3 km²), the largest burial ground in Turkey
.
The cemetery was named after a warrior companion of Orhan I
, the second Ottoman
sultan and is believed to have been founded in the mid-14th century. It is estimated that over a million people are interred in the non-profit cemetery.
Karacaahmet Cemetery comprises 12 parcels, each dedicated to different religious groups. Many historical headstone
s can still be seen with inscriptions written in the Ottoman Turkish alphabet
, a version of the Arabic alphabet,. The burial ground is covered by high cypress
trees.
The shrine of Karaca Ahmet Sultan, a 13th century physician and saint of Alevi
s, a sect of Islam, is situated within the cemetery. There are also many other historical tombs and masjids, which is the Arabic word for mosques, built during the Ottoman period.
Historical:
1940s:
1950s:
1960s:
1980s:
2000s:
Üsküdar
Üsküdar is a large and densely populated municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered on the north by Beykoz, on the east by Ümraniye, on the southeast by Ataşehir, on the south by Kadıköy, and on the west by the Bosphorus, with the areas of Beşiktaş,...
district, is the oldest in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
and, at 750 acres (3 km²), the largest burial ground in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
The cemetery was named after a warrior companion of Orhan I
Orhan I
Orhan I or Orhan Bey was the second bey of the nascent Ottoman Empire from 1326 to 1359...
, the second Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
sultan and is believed to have been founded in the mid-14th century. It is estimated that over a million people are interred in the non-profit cemetery.
Karacaahmet Cemetery comprises 12 parcels, each dedicated to different religious groups. Many historical headstone
Headstone
A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. In most cases they have the deceased's name, date of birth, and date of death inscribed on them, along with a personal message, or prayer.- Use :...
s can still be seen with inscriptions written in the Ottoman Turkish alphabet
Ottoman Turkish alphabet
The Ottoman Turkish alphabet was the version of the Perso-Arabic alphabet that was used for the Ottoman Turkish language during the time of the Ottoman Empire and in the early years of the Republic of Turkey, until the adoption of the new Turkish alphabet, derived from the Latin script, on...
, a version of the Arabic alphabet,. The burial ground is covered by high cypress
Cypress
Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the cypress family Cupressaceae, which is a conifer of northern temperate regions. Most cypress species are trees, while a few are shrubs...
trees.
The shrine of Karaca Ahmet Sultan, a 13th century physician and saint of Alevi
Alevi
The Alevi are a religious and cultural community, primarily in Turkey, constituting probably more than 15 million people....
s, a sect of Islam, is situated within the cemetery. There are also many other historical tombs and masjids, which is the Arabic word for mosques, built during the Ottoman period.
Notable burials
List in sorted order of the year of death.Historical:
- Sheikh HamdullahSheikh HamdullahSheikh Hamdullah , born in Amasya, Ottoman Empire, was a master of Islamic calligraphy. He devoted his whole life to the art of calligraphy, producing forty-seven Mus'hafs, book of Qur'an, and innumerable En'ams, Evrads and Juz'....
(1436-1520), calligrapher - Benderli Ali PashaBenderli Ali PashaBenderli Ali Pasha was an Ottoman statesman. He was Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire.He ruled from 23 March 1821 to 30 April 1821 as Grand Vizier of sultan Mahmud II He came to Constantinople on 21 April 1828 and actually only nine days in power....
, Sultan Mahmud IIMahmud IIMahmud II was the 30th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. He was born in the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, the son of Sultan Abdulhamid I...
's Grand Vizier
1940s:
- Kaçı Vehip Pasha (1877-1940), Ottoman general
1950s:
- Reşat Nuri GüntekinResat Nuri GüntekinReşat Nuri Güntekin was a Turkish novelist, storywriter and playwright. His most known novel, Çalıkuşu is about the destiny of a young Turkish female teacher in Anatolia; a movie was filmed on this book in 1966, and a TV series were produced in 1986...
(1889-1956), novelist - Osman Zeki ÜngörZeki UngorOsman Zeki Üngör was a Turkish composer, violin virtuoso and lyricist, who served as the first conductor of the Presidential Symphony Orchestra of the Republic of Turkey....
(1880-1958), composer, initial conductor of the Presidential Symphony OrchestraPresidential Symphony OrchestraPresidential Symphony Orchestra is the presidential symphony orchestra of the Republic of Turkey. It is headquartered in Ankara...
1960s:
- Fikret Mualla Saygı (1903-1967), painter
1980s:
- Oktay Rifat Horozcu (1914-1988), poet
2000s:
- Cem KaracaCem KaracaMuhtar Cem Karaca , also called Cem Baba , was a prominent Turkish rock musician and one of the most important figures in the Anatolian rock movement.-Biography:...
(1945-2004), rock musician - Nezihe ViranyalıNezihe ViranyaliNezihe Viranyalı was one of the first Turkish female aviators. She was trained by Sabiha Gökçen, Turkey's first female pilot, world's first female combat pilot.-Biography:...
(1925-2004), female aviator - Arif MardinArif MardinArif Mardin was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco, and country...
(1932-2006), Turkish-American music producer - Mustafa Şekip BirgölMustafa Sekip BirgölMustafa Şekip Birgöl , a retired Turkish colonel, was the last veteran of the Turkish War of Independence .-Biography:...
(1903-2008), retired colonel and the last veteran of the Turkish War of IndependenceTurkish War of IndependenceThe Turkish War of Independence was a war of independence waged by Turkish nationalists against the Allies, after the country was partitioned by the Allies following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I...