Turkish Military Cemetery
The Turks of the Balkan Wars and the First World War, who died in Athens, were buried in this Turkish Military Cemetery.
Modern and Contemporary era (1821 - )
1890 The space was ceded to the Ottoman Empire.
1936 The Metaxas dictatorship ordered its destruction, but it did not happen.
2011 A group of far-right extremists or provocateurs broke into the cemetery and vandalized it. The incident caused a temporary tension between the two countries.
Ottoman era (1453- 1821)
Byzantine era (331 AC- 1453)
Roman era (30 BC- 330 AC)
Hellenistic era (322- 31 BC)
Classical era (478-323 BC)
Archaic era (800-479 BC)
Geometric era (-1100- 800 BC)
Prehistory (-1100 BC)
What I can see
Muslim residents who were victims of the 1854 cholera were buried here. Later, Turkish soldiers who were killed or died as prisoners during the Balkan Wars, World War I and the Greco-Turkish War were buried here. The place is not open all the time. The title “Turkish Military Cemetery” is written in Greek and Turkish at the entrance. Inside the space, a votive column with the Turkish flag and an inscription in Turkish stands out.
What I can't see
The space was part of a Greek military school and was granted to the Ottoman Empire. With the establishment of modern Turkish state, the site was named as “Turkish Military Cemetery” and is its owner to this day. The names of the dead soldiers are not known, because they had not been recorded. It is considered a place of martyrdom by the Turks and wreaths are laid every year, while police is present in order to prevent any possible tension caused by Greek far-right extremists.
Info
- Address: Domokou St.
Bibliography
Mpelavilas N., (2021), Ιστορία της πόλης του Πειραιά, 19ος και 20ος αιώνας, [The History of the City of Piraeus, 19th and 20th centuries], Alexandria Publication
MLP, (2014), Το Τούρκικο Νεκροταφείο στην Παλαιά Κοκκινιά, [The Turkish Cemetery in Palea Kokkinia]
https://mlp-blo-g-spot.blogspot.com/2014/09/TourkikoNekrotafeio.html
Last visit 12/9/2023
