Zincirlikuyu Cemetery

Zincirlikuyu Cemetery
The Zincirlikuyu Cemetery is a modern burial ground residing on 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 , 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.
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).
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
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)
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,
Nihat Erim (1912–1980), jurist, politician and Prime minister
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
Ayşen Gruda (1944–2019), actress,
Cemal Nadir Güler (1902–1947), cartoonist,
Aysel Gürel (1929–2008), actress and lyricist
Melahat Gürsel (1900–1975), 4th First Lady (1960–1966),
Müslüm Gürses (1953–2013), singer and actor
H
Fikret Hakan (1934– 2017), actor
Vahit Melih Halefoğlu (1919–2017), politician and diplomat,
I–İ
Rıfat Ilgaz (1911–1993), poet and story writer,
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
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,
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 (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,
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,
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,
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,
Zati Sungur (1898–1984), stage magician
Ferhan Şensoy (1951–2021), actor, playwright, theatre director and writer,
Turgay Şeren (1932–2016), goalkeeper and football manager
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,
Yusuf Tunaoğlu (1946–2000), footballer
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
Footnotes
Cemeteries in Istanbul
Şişli
Sunni cemeteries
Cemeteries established in the 1930s