The Gravestones in the Gülcü Cemetery in İsparta

Abstract

The cemeteries are the important documents of societies in their history, literatüre, art and life styles. It is knovvn that there were fourteen cemeteries in the beginning of the tu/entieth century in İsparta. Unfortunately these cemeteries were destroyed for the construction of buildings in the last century, and the new cemetery grounds were opened outside the city çenter. Therefore, there are very few gravestones dated to the Ottoman period. Thirty six gravestones dated to the Ottoman period were found in the Gülcü cemetery existing in Gülcü neighborhood. The oldest gravestone among them, that can be idendified is dated to 1620. The latest gravestone with the Ottoman script belongs to 1949. The man gravestones were prepared with headdress and the women gravestones were prepared unheaddress as the Ottoman gravestones in the other towns. An important feature of these gravestones is that emotional poems were usually carved very carefully in the handwork of gravestones.