Zincirlikuyu Cemetery
The Zincirlikuyu Cemetery (Turkish: Zincirlikuyu Mezarlığı) is a modern burial ground at the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. It is administered by the Metropolitan Municipality. Many prominent figures from the world of politics, business, sports and arts rest here.
The cemetery is located in the Şişli district between Esentepe and Levent neighborhoods. It is Istanbul’s first cemetery established in a contemporary structure. Planned in 1935, the burial place reached in the 1950s to its boundaries of today. It has an area of 0.381 km2 (94 acres), which is full, excluding family graves.
A mosque within the cemetery, built and donated by the Turkish entrepreneur İbrahim Bodur, was opened to service on April 2, 2004. The mosque is specially constructed for burial prayers, and has a capacity of 500 people.[1]
The office of the İstanbul Cemeteries Administration is located in the building at the entrance of the cemetery.
Over the gate of the cemetery a verse from the Qur'an reminds "Her canlı ölümü tadacaktır" (English: Every living thing will taste death).[2]
Notable burials
Listed in alphabetical order of family names:
- Sait Faik Abasıyanık (1906–1954), writer
- Yıldırım Aktuna (1930–2007), psychiatrist and politician
- Sadri Alışık (1925–1995), film actor
- Cahit Aral (1927–2011), engineer and former government minister
- Oğuz Aral (1936–2004), political cartoonist
- Duygu Asena (1946–2006), columnist, best seller author and activist for women’s rights
- Turhan Baytop (1920–2002), botanist
- Behice Boran (1910–1987), Marxist sociologist, politician and author
- Rıza Tevfik Bölükbaşı (1869–1949), philosopher, poet and politician
- İhsan Sabri Çağlayangil (1908–1993), politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Senate
- Faruk Nafiz Çamlıbel (1898–1973), poet and politician
- Belgin Doruk (1936–1995), film actress
- Nejat Eczacıbaşı (1913–1993), chemist and businessman
- Şakir Eczacıbaşı (1929–2010), pharmacist, photographer and businessman
- Çetin Emeç (1935–1990), journalist
- Nihat Erim (1912–1980), jurist, politician and Prime minister
- Muhsin Ertuğrul (1892–1979), actor and director
- Defne Joy Foster (1975–2011), actress, presenter, VJ
- Aysel Gürel (1929–2008), actress and lyricist[3]
- Rıfat Ilgaz (1911–1993), poet and story writer
- Ayhan Işık (1929–1979), film actor
- Erdal İnönü (1926–2007), scientist and statesman
- Abdi İpekçi (1929–1979), journalist and intellectuel
- İsmail Cem İpekçi (1940–2007), politician, journalist and statesman
- Remzi Aydın Jöntürk (1936–1987), film director, film producer, screenwriter, painter and poet
- Ömer Kavur (1944–2005), film director, film producer and screenwriter
- Orhan Kemal (1914–1970), novelist
- Dündar Kılıç (1935–1999), mob boss
- Vehbi Koç (1901–1996), entrepreneur and Turkey’s richest man
- Behçet Necatigil (1916–1979), poet
- Ali Fethi Okyar (1880–1943), diplomat, politicani Prime minister and Speaker of the Parliament
- Gündüz Tekin Onay (1942–2008), footballer and coach of Beşiktaş J.K.
- Zeki Ökten (1941–2009), film director
- Coşkun Özarı (1931–2011), footballer and national team coach
- Halit Refiğ (1934–2009), film director, film producer and screenwriter
- Mehmet Sabancı (1963–2004), businessman
- Sakıp Sabancı (1933–2004), entrepreneur and Turkey’s second richest man
- Hasan Saka (1885–1960), politician and Prime minister
- Şükrü Saracoğlu (1887–1953) Prime minister and president of Fenerbahçe S.K.
- Türkan Saylan (1935–2009), Prof. Doctor, educator
- Ömer Seyfettin (1884–1920), novelist
- Ruhi Su (1912–1985), folk music singer
- Kemal Sunal (1944–2000), film actor and comedian
- Naim Talu (1919–1998), economist, banker, politician and Prime minister
- Abdülhak Hâmid Tarhan (1852–1937), poet and playwright
- Ahmet Kutsi Tecer (1901–1957), educator, poet and politician
- Hakkı Yeten (1910–1989), footballer and coach of Beşiktaş J.K.