Historical cemeteries and tombstones of the Turkey-Islamic period in Dogubeyazit

As a result of Sultan Alpaslan's raids to Anatolia in 1064, Ağrı and its surroundings started to be dominated by the Great Seljuks and traces of Turkish art began to be seen from this date. In many important settlements in this region, many works that will shed light on history have been put forward. One of these is Doğubeyazıt district of Ağrı province. Doğubeyazıt is an important center of science, culture, art and belief, especially in the Ottoman period. In this sense, the most important artifact group of the district belonging to the Islamic period consists of historical cemeteries and tombstones. Four cemeteries of historical value belonging to the Turkish-Islamic period are known in Doğubeyazıt. These are İshak Paşa Palace Cemetery, Old Bayezıt City Cemetery, Ahmedi Hani Cemetery and Seslitaş Village Cemetery. The gravestones identified in these cemeteries cover a time period from the early 18th century to the 20th century. Approximately 50 tombstones belonging to this period were identified. Among these stones, 42 tombstones with high cultural and artistic value were included in this study. The gravestones collected in the region using gray, cream, brown, tuff stones and black basalt stones show a rich variety with their typologies and decorative elements. Especially the gravestones in the İshak Paşa Palace Cemetery exhibit a unique repertoire with their different forms and rich decorative features. Another important point that draws attention in the gravestones in this cemetery is the similarity of the ornamentation with the ornamentation program of Ishak Pasha Palace. In the 18th century, the baroque style, which was influential in Ottoman art, is seen in the Ishak Pasha Palace in Doğubeyazıt and the Ottoman period tombstones in Doğubeyazıt, although it is about 1,500 kilometers away from Istanbul. In the tombstones in the region, where different and rich forms are used, tombstones with a sarcophagus and cist are used with different variations. The gravestones analyzed reflect the traditions of the Ottoman period gravestones in the Lake Van Basin, which is a close region in terms of typology and decoration elements. Some of the tombstones are also indicative of the strong continuation of the tradition in the region. These graves, most of which are identified as belonging to spiritual figures and bey families respected by the people, also provide information about the political life and belief culture of the region in the recent period.