World Cemeteries
Karacaahmet Cemetery, Cemetery in Istanbul, Turkey
For centuries, Turkey has been dominated by Islam, which is followed by the vast majority of society (Sunni Islam). Christianity and other denominations are no less important here. Before Islam, Christianity was common in Turkey. Also, cemeteries here have a color scheme of cemetery architecture that is unusual for other countries. Karacaahmet Cemetery is located above the Asian territory of Istanbul. Currently, the cemetery covers about 300 ha, and in its 700-year history over a million people belonging to various religious denominations have been buried there. Christians, Jews, Muslims of various movements and schools of thought are buried in separate sectors of the cemetery, symbolizing their shared loyalty to the Turkish sultans. The list of important historical figures buried here varies from grand viziers and famous calligraphy masters to the military, scientists and athletes. Karaahmet is also known as the place to appreciate the Old Turkish alphabet based on Arabic script. This way of writing the Turkish language was common until 1928, when Kemal Atatürk translated Turkish into Latin. As the cemetery has not ceased to be used since then, there are many monuments with the new alphabet. But on the old Karaachmet tombstones there are still beautiful and very detailed stories about the lives of the dead made in the old style that everyone can admire.