Before we moved from Istanbul last year, I tried to tick off the remaining items on my bucket list.
Perhaps one of the odd items on my list was visiting an
old cemetery, located in the Kurtuluş/ Feriköy neighborhoods, which is where I
walked through sometimes from our apartment.
The Feriköy
Protestant Cemetery (Feriköy
Protestan Mezarlığı) is tucked away off the busy streets of the neighboring,
working-class neighborhood and surrounded by high brick walls. The gravestones
here date back to the 19th century and depict the melting pot that
once lived in Istanbul. In 1857, the Ottoman government donated the land for
this cemetery to the leading Protestant powers of that time, the United
Kingdom, the United States, the Netherlands, Prussia, Sweden, Norway and
Denmark. The cemetery is even divided into separate sections for the different
nationalities.
You’ll even find a section, separated by a stone wall,
that is reserved for Armenian Protestants. The history information I found
stated that since Armenians were regarded as “Ottoman subjects,” they had to be
separated from the burial plots of the other foreigners. Strange!
Here is a place where you can gaze up at the sunny skies above
and find a piece of quietness in Istanbul. Trust me, this doesn’t happen very
often when you live (lived) in a city of 15 million. Here, you can block out
the yelling simitci, the annoying
honking horns and the Turkish children frolicking after school.
Though you may find it odd, I like walking through old
cemeteries. I find them peaceful. It’s interesting to see the different
architecture and sculptures and take note of the elaborate headstones. I think
you also can discover a little bit more about a city’s history by walking
through a cemetery. This one in Istanbul is worth searching out if you have
extra time or are interested in cemeteries like me.
At the Feriköy Cemetery, I think you will find a lil bit
of beauty among the chaos.
Location:
Listed as Feriköy Mezarlığı on Google Maps
About a 20-minute walk southwest of the Osmanbey metro
stop.
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3 comments:
Thanks Joy! I feel better now. I thought I was odd for liking to walk through cemeteries. I like looking at the dates and then imagine what kind of life they lived. When I make it back to Turkey one day, I will definitely check this out.
@April, Happy to hear that I'm not the only one! :-) As long as it's daytime, I'm happy to wander through a cemetery.
I'm a cemetery wanderer too! Always a peaceful place.
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