User:Cednel/Medieval Muslim cemetery of Ahlat

The medieval Muslim cemetery of Ahlat is located nearby the town of Ahlat, Bitlis Province Turkey, and is known for its many Islamic tombs (kümbets) and tombstones dating to the 13th-16th centuries when the area was under control of various muslim states. There are hundreds of richly carved tombstones and several tombs. During the middle ages, Ahlat was the largest city in the Van region and one of the largest cities of Asia Minor under Turkish control. In the 12th century it was the capital of the Ahlatshahs. One of the historic legacies of the medieval period are the extensive remains of the cemetery. The town eventually declined and depopulated in the 16th century. Today the cemetery is tentatively listed in the List of World Heritage Sites in Turkey.

Tombstones
The oldest stones could be possibly dated to the end of the 11th or the early 12th century. These are sarcophagi without headstones with few decorations and the inscriptions are generally carved at the side of the stone. These stones are at the north east corner of the present cemetery. From this location the cemetery expanded to the south and southwest. In the mid 12th century the design becomes a box and lid. At the end of the 12th century double verstical stones appear. Their front side is decorated with a niche and border also the designs become richer, the deceased's name is carved on the backside of the headstone. In the next century new motifs such as stars and medallions appear and the sarcophagus gets a cylindrical shape. Some of the earliest gravestones date from the 1180s - 1190s and some of them are very tall. They are decorated with carved geometric designs and Arabic calligraphy. The most richly designs date from between 1300-1340s. The 19th century British traveller H. F. B. Lynch described the graveyard as:

''"Between the isolated tomb and the ravine of the ancient city, the ground is covered by the headstones of an extensive cemetery, a kind of Kensal Green or Pere Lachaise. But our European pattern of marble slabs, with thin incisions, are pale and paltry when compared with these. The fact that a majority of these headstones are still erect attests their extraordinary solidity. In all, or almost all, cases they have the form of a pilaster, surmounted by a honeycomb frieze. The silhouettes of these friezes are extremely picturesque against the lights of the sky. The stone has weathered brown and carries a little lichen. The head of the dead man is placed towards Mecca, turned upon his right shoulder. The headstone faces the feet and the rising sun. The face bears the inscription in Arabic character ; on the reverse the ornament, is an almost universal feature. Some of these graves are of the same date as the kumbets, or even earlier, while some are rather later. They represent a comparatively high standard of civilisation, in which the arts were cherished and extensively practised."''

Tombs
There are several tombs scattered in the landscape, some of them are over 70 ft or 80 ft high. They are known as "Kümbet" in Turkish and date to the 13th-16th century. The tombs are those of: Erzen Hatun (1396/7), Keşiş (14th-15th century), Hasan Padişah (13th century), Emir Bayındır (15th century), Hüseyin Timur-Esen Tekin, Bugatay Aka-Şirin Hatun, Şeyh Necmeddin (1221/2), Emir Ali (18th century), Dede Maksut (16th century) two anonymous tombs, Ulu (13th century) in early 19th century this tombs total height was 19 meter above the surrounding, Alimoğlu Hurşit ,Mirza Bey.

The tomb of Abdurrahman Gazi, was built in 1974 by the local mason Tahsin Kalender. The design is based on the historic tombs.

Today
The cemetery has become a national monument and is featured as a cultural and tourist destination.