A research on the culture, civilization and faith world developing around the Ottoman tombstones: The case of Eyüp

In almost every period of history, the Turkish nation has organized its cemeteries meticulously, paying attention to the architecture of tombs and tombstones. The tombstones reflecting the mentality of the period in which they were built are among the important sources showing the culture, civilization and beliefs of the period. When the historical change and transformation process is observed in the gravestones created in different periods, it is observed that the grave traditions before the adoption of Islam by our ancestors were not abandoned with the transition to Islam, and a rich grave tradition which was combined with the Islamic tradition was established. When the classical period of the Ottoman Empire, which contains the most concrete examples of this situation, is extremely mature and has high cultural density, cemeteries have been created. As a result of this situation, Ottoman society turned the grave areas into the gardens of civilization. The most fundamental thing behind such a rich burial tradition is the desire to meet God and the eternal world. With this longing for reunion, death has become the gateway to the world that has ceased to be the last and which is genuine and permanent. For these reasons, the cold fears of death were destroyed in the Ottoman tombstones and our cemeteries, with their content and formal processing and motifs, became extremely lively places reflecting cultural and religious values. As one of the most beautiful examples of these places, it is possible to show the Eyüp district of Istanbul, where Eyüp Sultan Hazreti is the eternal host. Ottoman society wanted to be buried here to be close to Eyüp Sultan, and as a result Eyüp became a very rich and culturally graveyard. The Ottoman tombstones in the Eyüp district of Istanbul add civilization to the Ottoman state. Examples of high culture, thought and social life, the attitude of our ancestors to death, the world of faith, the value it attaches to human and the idea of understanding the world will be learned.