Across the sprawling Edirnekapı Şehitliği a sense of history hangs heavy in the air. This isn’t just any cemetery. It’s a vast resting place a silent testament to the countless lives lost throughout centuries of conflict.
Edirnekapı Şehitliği is one of Istanbul’s oldest cemeteries. Its story begins in 1453. Muslim soldiers who fell fighting for the conquest of Istanbul found their final resting place here. A wide area between Edirnekapı Topkapı Maltepe and Topçular became their shared grave. In the Ottoman era this first şehitlik was known as Sır Tekke. Its exact original location is now uncertain. Ottomans gathered here on festive mornings to pray for the şehitler’s souls.
The construction of the E-5 highway altered the landscape. Some graves had to be moved. The original layout of Sır Tekke changed. One section is still called Mısır Tarlası the Egyptian Field. It’s filled with ancient graves many crumbling with age. No new graves are here. The remains date back to the 19th century and earlier. Another section called the Necatibey Cemetery also holds ancient graves. A connecting road now runs through its heart causing further damage. Many important historical figures are buried here.
Throughout the Ottoman and Republican eras Edirnekapı Şehitliği served the military. Today the Türkiye Şehitlikleri İmar Vakfı founded in 1926 cares for it. The foundation played a crucial role in restoring this important site. They even identified and marked the graves of five thousand şehitler. Their names hometowns are now recorded on newly created headstones.
Edirnekapı Şehitliği is particularly significant. It holds the remains of many soldiers who died in the Balkan Wars World War I and especially the Gallipoli campaign. Many wounded soldiers were brought to Istanbul hospitals. Those who died are buried here. The şehitlik includes separate sections for Ottoman-Russian War casualties Balkan War şehitler and members of the army navy and air force. Police officers and civilian victims also rest here. A book published in Ankara in 1971 notes that approximately 13,000 soldiers who died in Istanbul hospitals after the Balkan War and Gallipoli campaign are buried here.
Bruno Taut a Jewish architect is notably buried here. He stands as a testament to the broad spectrum of lives that have intertwined with this significant site’s history. A unique collection of Ottoman tombstones found during the cemetery’s renovations are displayed in two separate enclosures. These meticulously preserved headstones provide valuable insight into the artistic and cultural traditions of a bygone era. Their historical significance makes them worthy of careful study.
Leave Edirnekapı Şehitliği with a profound sense of reflection. The stories etched in stone bear witness to the sacrifices that shaped Istanbul’s and Turkey’s history.