zincirlikuyu cemetery

Despite the saying "everyone will die someday" written at the entrance, there is a large building at the back of Mecidiyeköy with the words "forever living" written in big brass letters on the front. This inscription stands out especially when the sun shines on it. The building is made up of tombstones.

When I was a child, I believed that the people buried in the cemetery were being chained down in the well. That cemetery is the one I'm most scared of now.

In 1937, a cemetery was opened and the first person to be buried there was Abdulhak Hamit Tarhan. He is known as the Poet-i Azam and his grave is known as Makber No. 1. Every person who is buried there is welcomed with his verses.

In 1924, a famous person named Ahdulhak Hamid Tarhan was expected to be the first person to be buried in the Zinikuyu Cemetery, which was known as the final resting place for celebrities. However, luck or destiny had it that he was the one to be buried there in 1936, officially putting the cemetery into service.

I'm one of the few people who visits cemeteries in Istanbul. Whenever I tell people about it, they ask me if I'm scared. I'm not scared of the dead, but of being alive in a place where so many people have died.

There is no space left.

I am glad that the plants in this area are safe from hunting because they are surrounded by burial sites. This land is very valuable and no one can harm the vegetation.