TOMBSTONES Dating back to the 17th CENTURY ARE EXHIBITED IN KUŞADASI

The works carried out by Kuşadası Municipality, which produces important projects to protect the historical values of the city and bring them to tourism, to exhibit historical gravestones from the Ottoman period have reached the completion stage.

Within the scope of the Kuşadası Adalızade Historical Tombstones Exhibition Area Project, carried out in partnership with Kuşadası Municipality and Kuşadası Cultural and Historical Heritage Preservation Association, work is about to be completed for the Tombstones Open Air Exhibition, where the tombstones from the Ottoman period, which were found and protected in Adalızade Cemetery, will be exhibited. In the project, which was also approved by the Aydın Cultural Heritage Preservation Regional Board, the gravestones will be opened to the visit of history enthusiasts after the completion of the exhibition area, which is under construction by the Parks and Gardens Directorate teams in an area of 1090 square meters next to the Adalızade Cemetery allocated by Kuşadası Municipality.

Within the scope of the works, firstly, a stone wall was built around the area and the lighting infrastructure was completed. Then, the walking paths of the project, which was designed with inspiration from the wheel of fortune and oyster motifs found on historical tombstones, were covered with slate, cobblestone and wood. In the exhibition area, where history comes together with aesthetic landscaping, a container was also placed so that exhibition visitors could buy souvenirs and get information about the tombstones. In the area where 202 tombstones dating back to the 17th century will be exhibited, after the assembly of the grass planting and irrigation elements was completed, the tombstones were placed on the main arteries for display. Finally, the work of the teams, which placed 3 garbage bins and 4 benches in the area, will be completed after the signs with informative articles about the gravestones are placed.

A HISTORY TRAVEL IN THE OPEN AIR

Within the scope of the project, which received the Achievement Award in the 'Project Encouragement and Implementation Competition' organized by the Historical Cities Association, retired faculty member from Ege University Faculty of Letters, Department of Art History. Ertan Daş and his team inventoried 521 historical gravestones in approximately 2 years. Among them, 202 historical gravestones were found to be intact and of high artistic value and were deemed suitable for exhibition. The exhibition area, which will consist of historical tombstones containing important information about the city's history such as Kuşadası's culture, demographic structure, social changes, political events, traditional professions, epidemics, neighborhood and place names, will shed light on the history of Kuşadası. The exhibition area, which will be introduced by expert guides, is aimed to be of historical importance and contribute to the city identity, as well as to contribute to cultural tourism.