Tombstones in the Shape of Abstract Human Sculpture from District of Çıldır

In the rich turkish culture and history, tombstones have an important place. so, turkish people believed in life after death even before the acceptance of islam and accordingly they showed their respect for the souls and memories of deaths as they did when they were alive through making sepulchers and sepulcher monuments. this concept led turkish people to form a very rooted and rich burial tradition, sepulcher and tombstone customs and develop from there on. tombstones containing particularly sculpture forms of gokturks and the qualifications of the death person’s life have become an inspiration for the tombstones in anatolia. but this national tradition has been kept isolated by impersonation of islam in anatolia. çıldır and its surroundings is one of the leading places where the tradition of ancient turkish tombstones in the form of abstract sculpture in anatolia is kept. in çıldır and its surroundings with its rich history and culture, patterns with figurative content on sepulcher monuments of the term of ottomans present considerable features in terms of turkish culture and history of belief.