Zincirlikuyu Cemetery Explained

Zincirlikuyu Cemetery
Established:	1935
Country:	Turkey
Location:	Şişli, Istanbul
Coordinates:	41.075°N 29.0083°W
Map Type:	Turkey Istanbul
Map Size:	280
Type:	Public
Owner:	Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality
Size:	0.381km2
Website:	İBB Mezarlıklar Md. website
Findagraveid:	2177178

The Zincirlikuyu Cemetery (tr|Zincirlikuyu Mezarlığı) is a modern burial ground in 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 on the Büyükdere Avenue in Zincirlikuyu, 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 0.381km2, 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 2 April 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" (Every living thing will taste death).^[2]

Notable burials

Listed in alphabetical order of family names:

A

• Makbule Abasıyanık (1883–1963), writer and philanthropist
• Sait Faik Abasıyanık (1906–1954), short story writer
• Behiye Aksoy (1933–2015), singer
• Yıldırım Aktuna (1930–2007), psychiatrist and politician
• Zeki Alasya (1943–2015), actor and film director
• Sadri Alışık (1925–1995), film actor
• Cahit Aral (1927–2011), engineer and former government minister
• Oğuz Aral (1936–2004), political cartoonist
• Mübeccel Argun (1909–1982), sportswoman, teacher of physical education and radio presenter
• Cüneyt Arkin (1937–2022), actor and medical doctor
• Duygu Asena (1946–2006), columnist, best seller author and activist for women's rights
• Falih Rıfkı Atay (1894–1971), journalist, writer and politician

B

• Turhan Baytop (1920–2002), botanist
• Refet Bele (1881–1963), general
• Ekrem Bora (1934–2012), film actor
• Behice Boran (1910–1987), Marxist sociologist, politician and author
• Orhan Boran (1928–2012), comedian, radio and TV host
• Rıza Tevfik Bölükbaşı (1869–1949), philosopher, poet and politician
• Erol Büyükburç (1936–2015), pop music singer, composer and actor
• Erol Bulut (1955–2021), romantic surrealist painter, professor of fine arts
• (Beta) Berk Bayındır (1989-2022), rap music singer and actor.

C–Ç

• İhsan Sabri Çağlayangil (1908–1993), politician, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Senate
• Faruk Nafiz Çamlıbel (1898–1973), poet and politician
• Selahattin Çetiner (1922–2023), military officer and politician, Minister of the Interior (1980–1983)^[3]

D

• Belgin Doruk (1936–1995), film actress
• Gürdal Duyar (1935–2004), sculptor

E

• Nejat Eczacıbaşı (1913–1993), chemist and businessman
• Şakir Eczacıbaşı (1929–2010), pharmacist, photographer and businessman
• Çetin Emeç (1935–1990), journalist
• Refik Erduran (1928–2017), playwright, columnist and writer,^[4]
• Nihat Erim (1912–1980), jurist, politician and Prime minister
• Genco Erkal (1938-2024), drama actor
• Muhsin Ertuğrul (1892–1979), actor and director
• Suphi Ezgi (1869–1962), military physician and musicologist, componist

F

• Fahire Fersan (1900–1997), classical kemençe virtuosa
• Defne Joy Foster (1975–2011), Afro-American actress, presenter, VJ

G

• Ayten Gökçer (1940–2024), actress,^[5]
• Ayşen Gruda (1944–2019), actress,^[6]
• Cemal Nadir Güler (1902–1947), cartoonist,^[7]
• Aysel Gürel (1929–2008), actress and lyricist^[8]
• Melahat Gürsel (1900–1975), 4th First Lady (1960–1966),^[9]
• Müslüm Gürses (1953–2013), singer and actor

H

• Fikret Hakan (1934– 2017), actor
• Vahit Melih Halefoğlu (1919–2017), politician and diplomat,^[10]

I–İ

• Rıfat Ilgaz (1911–1993), poet and story writer,^[11]
• Ayhan Işık (1929–1979), film actor
• Erdal İnönü (1926–2007), scientist and statesman
• Abdi İpekçi (1929–1979), journalist and intellectual
• İsmail Cem İpekçi (1940–2007), politician, journalist and statesman
• Benal Nevzat İstar Arıman (1903–1990), poet, writer and politician being as one of the first 18 female members of the Turkish parliament
• Fatma Hikmet İşmen (1918–2006), agricultural engineer, socialist politician, former senator^[12]

J

• Remzi Aydın Jöntürk (1936–1987), film director, film producer, screenwriter, painter and poet

K

• Feridun Karakaya (1928–2004), comedy actor
• Refik Halit Karay (1888–1965), writer and journalist,^[13]
• Ömer Kavur (1944–2005), film director, film producer and screenwriter
• Orhan Kemal (1914–1970), novelist
• Neriman Köksal (1928–1999), actress
• Yaşar Kemal (1923–2015), novelist
• Ali Kılıç^[14] (1889–1971), officer of the Ottoman Army, politician and army officer of the Republic of Turkey
• Dündar Kılıç (1935–1999), mob boss
• Suna Kıraç (1941–2020), member of Koç family, businesswoman and museum founder,^[15]
• Levent Kirca (1948–2015), actor
• Lütfi Kırdar (1887–1961), Governor and Mayor of Istanbul, Minister of Health and Social Security
• Vehbi Koç (1901–1996), entrepreneur and once Turkey's wealthiest person
• Mustafa Koç (1960–2016), businessman and chairman of Turkey's largest congloromerate Koç Holding

M

• Şaziye Moral (1903–1985), stage, film and voice actress

N

• Behçet Necatigil (1916–1979), poet
• Muhterem Nur (1932–2020), film actress and pop music singer

O–Ö

• Meral Okay (1959–2012), actress and screenwriter
• Yaman Okay (1951–1993), actor
• Ali Fethi Okyar (1880–1943), diplomat, politician, Prime Minister and Speaker of the Parliament
• Vedat Okyar (1945–2009), footballer and sports journalist
• 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
• Attila Özdemiroğlu (1943–2016), composer and arranger.

R

• Türkan Rado (1915–2007), first ever Turkish female professor of jurisprudence
• Halit Refiğ (1934–2009), film director, film producer and screenwriter

S–Ş

• 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
• Timur Selçuk (1946–2020), singer, pianist, conductor and composer,^[16]
• Müzeyyen Senar (1918–2015), Turkish classical music singer
• Ömer Seyfettin (1884–1920), novelist
• Aydan Siyavuş (1947–1998), basketball coach
• Meriç Soylu (1973–2012), director
• Mümtaz Soysal (1929–2019), professor of constitutional law, political scientist, politician, human rights activist, senior advisor, columnist and author,^[17]
• Sevgi Soysal (1936–1976), female novelist
• Ruhi Su (1912–1985), folk music singer
• Kemal Sunal (1944–2000), film actor and comedian
• Atıfet Sunay (1903–2002), fifth First Lady of Turkey,^[18]
• Zati Sungur (1898–1984), stage magician
• Ferhan Şensoy (1951–2021), actor, playwright, theatre director and writer,^[19]
• Turgay Şeren (1932–2016), goalkeeper and football manager^[20]

T

• Naim Talu (1919–1998), economist, banker, politician and Prime minister
• Ali Tanrıyar (1914–2017), physician, politician, government minister and sports club president
• Safiye Ayla Targan (1907–1998), female singer
• Abdülhak Hâmid Tarhan (1852–1937), poet and playwright
• Necdet Tosun (1926–1975), actor
• Erdal Tosun (1963–2016), actor
• Gürdal Tosun (1967–2000), actor
• Ahmet Kutsi Tecer (1901–1967), educator, poet and politician
• Talat Tunçalp (1915–2017), Olympian road cyclist,^[21]
• Yusuf Tunaoğlu (1946–2000), footballer^[22]
• Reha Oğuz Türkkan (1920–2010), writer
• İlter Türkmen (1927–2022), diplomat and politician

U–Ü

• Selçuk Uluergüven (1941–2014), theatre, film and television series actor
• Nejat Uygur (1927–2013), actor, comedian

Y

• Hakkı Yeten (1910–1989), footballer and coach of Beşiktaş J.K.
• Yankı Özkan Yıldırır (1972–2014), business woman
• Kerem Yilmazer (1945–2003), actor

Notes and References

1. http://www.ibb.gov.tr/tr-TR/Haberler/HaberDetay.html?HaberId=17047 İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality
2. http://www.radikal.com.tr/haber.php?haberno=84652 Newspaper Radikal August 10, 2003
3. News: Eski İçişleri Bakanı Selahattin Çetiner öldü . . 2023-06-04 . 2023-06-26 . Turkish . https://web.archive.org/web/20230618151244/https://www.birgun.net/haber/eski-icisleri-bakani-selahattin-cetiner-oldu-442723 . 2023-06-18 . live.
4. News: Gazeteci yazar Refik Erduran son yolculuğuna uğurlandı . . Ege, Yunus . 9 January 2017 . tr . 11 January 2017 .
5. News: Tiyatrocular yaşamını yitiren usta oyuncu Ayten Gökçer'i anlattı: 'Büyük bir hayranlıkla onu izlerdi' AytenGökçer . . Atabay, Burak . 14 May 2024 . tr . 16 May 2024 .
6. News: Ayşen Gruda son yolculuğuna uğurlandı . . 25 January 2019 . tr . 26 January 2019 .
7. News: Karikatür duayeni Cemal Nadir anısına . . 11 February 2002 . tr . 11 November 2017 .
8. News: Turkish lyric writer Gürel dies . . 19 February 2008 . 6 March 2008.
9. News: Yıllar: 1975, Aylar: 2, Günler: 34 . Cumhuriyet Arşivi . tr . 14 February 2019 .
10. News: Eski Dışişleri Bakanı Halefoğlu Son Yolculuğuna Uğurlandı . . 23 January 2017 . tr . 23 January 2017 .
11. News: Rıfat Ilgaz, 22 yıl önce bugün aramızdan ayrıldı . Y24 . 7 July 2015 . tr . 31 January 2017 .
12. Web site: Yanya Sultanı'nın sosyalist senatör torunu . Son devir . Çetin, Mahmut . 6 February 2015 . tr . 29 October 2017 . 7 November 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171107011808/http://ekonomi.dunyabulteni.net/basari-oykuleri/279913/yanya-sultaninin-sosyalist-senator-torunu . dead .
13. Web site: Refik Halit Karay Kimdir? . Biyografim . tr . 29 January 2017 . 4 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190404182730/http://www.biyografim.net/refik-halit-karay-kimdir . dead .
14. Türk Parlamento Tarihi Araştırma Grubu, Türk Parlamento Tarihi, Millî Mücadele ve T.B.M.B. I. Dönem 1919–1923 – III. Cilt: I. Dönem Milletvekillerin Özgeçmişleri, Türkiye Büyük Millet Meclisi Vakfı Yayınları, Ankara, 1995,, p. 423.
15. News: Suna Kıraç son yolculuğuna uğurlanıyor . . Yavuz, Sevgim Begüm . 16 September 2020 . tr . 16 September 2020 .
16. Web site: Timur Selçuk'a veda… Son yolculuğuna uğurlandı . sozcu.com.tr. tr. 7 November 2020. 8 November 2020.
17. News: Mümtaz Hoca yaşama veda etti . . 12 November 2019 . tr . 13 November 2019 .
18. News: Sunay'ın eşi vefat etti . . 22 October 2002 . tr . 16 February 2019 .
19. News: Ferhan Şensoy gözyaşlarıyla uğurlandı . . Öztürk, Fahrettin . 2 September 2021 . tr . 3 September 2021 .
20. News: Turgay Şeren, son yolculuğuna uğurlandı . . 9 July 2016 . tr . 9 July 2016 .
21. News: Efsane sporcu Talat Tunçalp toprağa verilsi . . 3 January 2017 . tr . 3 January 2017 .
22. News: Yusuf Tunaoğlu'nu Andık. Beşiktaş J.K.. 22 July 2012. 8 May 2020. Tr. https://archive.today/20200508124126/https://bjk.com.tr/tr/haber/52762/yusuf_tunaoglu_rsquo_nu_andik.html. 8 May 2020.