The 19th Century Women’s Gravestones at the Graveyard of Trabzon Tavanlı Mosque

Abstract

As important parts of our national culture graves and gravestones are witnesses of relationships of past which goes on for generations. Gravestones and structure of graves, that continue the memory of men after death, comes from ancestor culture which pre-islamic Turks have. From past to present human being have commented death differently related to their own cultural background. That put a gravestone on grave for the dead is the production of a tradition which goes on for thousand years. Apart from graveyard, gravestones, which take place in mosque or shrine and a forbidden area surrounded with fences, were erected to know where inhumation is and show his/her identity. Graveyards are common products which reflect the period, environment, beliefs, traditions and understanding of art. Graveyards, apart from reflecting its own period containing understanding of art as historical sources, give concrete information about other subjects such as labels, names, jobs, family lines and causes of death and have versatile values with its rich contents in the point of sociocultural. The language used in Ottoman graveyards is generally Ottoman Turkish. However that usage of Arabian has been observed on graveyards of early periods. In our study, fourteen women gravestones at the graveyard of Tavanlı Mosque have been described in means of materials, forms, engraving techniques and adorment characteristics. Then it will be studied to determine their artistic characteristics and place in Turkish art by comparing with the other Ottoman gravestones.