100 more Seljuk tombstones to be brought back to life

BİTLİS

The restoration of the tombstones at the Ahlat Seljuk Meydan Cemetery in the eastern province of Bitlis, the world’s largest Turkish-Islamic Cemetery on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Tentative List, is underway.

Some 100 more historical tombstones are aimed to be brought to tourism with the “Eyewitnesses of History Rising Up” project that has been ongoing in the region where there are still undiscovered tombs, and the number of graves is expected to increase with excavations.

Project Coordinator İlter Yiğit stated to the journalists that they were conducting field scans within the scope of the project that started on April 1.

Expressing that they started to work to identify 100 tombstones that are planned to be restored first, Yiğit said that excavation, restoration and landscaping works are continuing in the cemetery.

“First of all, we will ensure that the stones with broken ground blockage are balanced again. In addition, the stones that are broken, completely fragmented and damaged for various reasons will be integrated,” he added.

“Finally, Turkish and English information boards and data matrix application will be started. We will take a total of 100 tombstones under protection as cultural heritage and introduce them to tourists,” Yiğit noted.

According to studies at the Ahlat Seljuk Cemetery, which is one of the most beautiful examples of Turkish-Islamic architecture, there are more than 8,000 graves, 1,500 of which are in perfect condition.

The historical tombstones in the cemetery are unique with their designs carved out of stone and different shapes. The most interesting thing is that each tombstone varies in height.

Ahlat was a center for various civilizations throughout history with its natural beauty and strategic importance.