Getting there:

From the European side, ferries from Karaköy (Galata), at the northern end of the Galata Bridge, cross the Bosphorus frequently to Haydarpasa and Kadaköy. Most ferries stop at both docks. Any ferry designated Haydarpasa stops right at the station's own ferry dock. Get off at the Haydarpasa train station. If you end up in Kadaköy by mistake, it's only a 10-minute walk north to the train station. From the train station, take a taxi to the cemetery, a 10 minute ride mostly uphill.

Information

Just inside the entrance of the cemetery is the Sakirin Mosque that opened in 2009. Of modern design, it was the first designed by a woman in Turkey, Zeynep Fadillioglu.

The cemetery was named after a warrior companion of Orhan I, the second Ottoman sultan and is believed to have been founded in the mid-14th century. It is estimated that over a million people are interred in the non-profit cemetery.

The Karacaahmet Mezarligi, located in Üsküdar district, is the oldest in Istanbul and, at 750 acres (3.0 km2), the largest burial ground in Turkey. While it is stated that Karacaahmet Cemetery comprises 12 parcels, each dedicated to different religious groups, it is not as we might envision. There are major streets with traffic breaking up the cemetery into different areas. The area with the main gate, mosque and cemetery bureau contains mostly current burials with older monuments here and there. Several of the other sections contain the majority of older monuments. To reach any of the other areas, you must walk out of the gated cemetery, turn left, walk down the hill and you will come to several of the other groupings, all behind walls.

The shrine of Karaca Ahmet Sultan, a 13th century physician and saint of Alevis, a sect of Islam, is situated within the boundary of the cemetery but is actually on the main street of Nuh Kuyusu cd. On the right hand side as you walk down the street and just before you have to go to the left.

A note on picture taking – there are guards in various areas of the cemetery, some saw me taking pictures and did nothing, 2 others told me photos were forbidden. Also, there are very few paths in the cemetery and the graves are very close together. To get to some of the back ones, you have to walk on the ledges of the graves.

Aug 28, 2011