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The Karacaahmet Cemetery (Template:Lang-tr), located in Üsküdar district (41°00′40″N 29°01′34″E / 41.011°N 29.026°E / 41.011; 29.026), is the oldest in Istanbul and, at 750 acres, the largest burial ground in Turkey.

The cemetery was named after a warrior companion of Orhan, 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 of 12 parcels, each dedicated to different religious groups. Many historical headstones with inscripts in Ottoman Turkish alphabet can still be seen. The burial ground is covered by high cypress trees.

The shrine of Karaca Ahmet Sultan, a 13th century physician and saint of Alevis, is situated within the cemetery. There are also many other historical tombs and masjids built during the Ottoman period.

Notable burials

• Benderli Ali Pasha, Sultan Mahmud II's Grand Vizier
• Reşat Nuri Güntekin (1889-1956), novelist
• Oktay Rifat Horozcu (1914-1988), poet
• Cem Karaca (1945-2004), rock musician
• Arif Mardin (1932-2006), Turkish-American music producer
• Fikret Mualla (1903-1967), painter

Damage by Marmaray project

By June 2007, a dent of 1.5 m diameter and 4 m depth occurred close to the cemetery wall, which was caused by the excavation works in the tunnel for Marmaray project. It was reported that some graves were damaged.

See also

• List of famous cemeteries

References

1. "Time Out Istanbul" (HTML). Time Out. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
2. Municipality of Üsküdar Template:Tr icon
3. European Alevi Unions Confederation official website Template:Tr icon
4. Istanbul News Template:Tr icon

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