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East of the Selimiye neighborhood in the Üsküdar district is the very peaceful Karacaahmet Cemetery (Karacaahmet Mezarlığı). This cemetery is the oldest and largest Ottoman burial ground in Istanbul, founded in the mid-1300s. Over a million people have been buried there.
Ottoman Tombs
Scattered among the modern graves are historical Ottoman tombs. They’re marked with Ottoman Turkish script using Arabic characters.
Each Ottoman tombstone tells an important story about the person buried in the tomb. Firstly, tombstones indicated gender. Those of women were decorated with flowers, with a rose for each child the woman had given birth to. The tombstones of men indicated their rank and social status, which was known by the shape and size of the turban.
Over time, the style of the tombstones changed. In the later Ottoman period, the name and title of the person, their father’s name, social status, and date of death were written directly on the tombstone.
Şakirin Mosque
At the north entrance of the cemetery is the Şakirin Mosque (Şakirin Camii), a very modern mosque that opened in 2009. Construction took four years.
The architect was Hüsrev Tayla and the interior designer was Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu, who is believed to be the first women to ever design a mosque. The fountain in the courtyard was designed by William Pye.
It’s well worth popping into the mosque to see the innovative interior. The prayer hall has a chandelier with waterdrop-shaped glass globes made by Nahide Büyükkaymakçı.
I visited during prayers and sat against the back wall. After prayers, I was welcomed with a smile and a box of lokum and candy from the caretaker and was thanked for visiting. It was a heartwarming experience, especially when compared to mosques in Morocco where I was angrily turned away.
Tomb of Karaca Ahmet
Just outside the cemetery is the tomb of Karaca Ahmet (Karaca Ahmet Türbesi), an Ottoman warrior who died during the Ottoman conquest of Chalcedon (today’s Kadıköy) and Chrysopolis/Skoutarion (today’s Üsküdar) in the 14th century. He’s regarded as a saint in the Alevi sect of Islam. A small mosque bearing his name sits across the street from the tomb.
The small admission fee to enter the tomb allows visitors to see Karaca Ahmet’s sarcophagus draped in green along with his cloak sitting inside a glass case.
Aşçıbaşı Mosque
Near the tomb is the Aşçıbaşı Mosque (Aşçıbaşı Camii) a small wooden mosque that I found interesting. It was built between 1650 and 1652 by Pervane Mehmed Efendi, the chief chef of Sultan Mehmed IV. The mosque was rebuilt by Yıldız Technical University (Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi) in 1993.
Getting There
To get to this part of Üsküdar from the European side, first take a ferry to Üsküdar. You can take a dolmuş from Üsküdar to Kadıköy and ask the driver to let you out at Karacaahmet Cemetery.
