The Merkezefendi Cemetery is a burial ground

Burial Ground

Burial Ground is the ninth studio album by Swedish death metal band Grave, released in June 2010.-Track listing:# "Liberation" - 3:40# "Semblance In Black" - 7:50# "Dismembered Mind" - 6:10# "Ridden With Belief" - 7:57# "Conquerer" - 4:44...

 situated in Merkezefendi neighborhood of Zeytinburnu

Zeytinburnu

Zeytinburnu is a working class neighbourhood, municipality and district on the European side of İstanbul, Turkey, on the shore of the Marmara Sea just outside the walls of the ancient city, beyond the fortress of Yedikule...

 district on the European part of Istanbul

Istanbul

Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

, Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

.

Many renowned intellectuals, writers and artists rest in this old cemetery covering an area of 27800 m² (299,236.7 sq ft).

The cemetery was established in the 16th century with the construction of the tomb of Merkez Efendi at this location. It was extended in the 1950s, and another cemetery, the Kozlu Cemetery was established 100 m (328.1 ft) far from this place.

In 2007, the cemetery was fully renovated. At the time of the burial of former Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan

Necmettin Erbakan

Necmettin Erbakan was a Turkish engineer, academic, politician , who was the Prime Minister of Turkey from 1996 until 1997. He was Turkey's first Islamist Prime Minister...

 in 2011, a comprehensive maintenance work was carried out at the cemetery.

Currently, burials are allowed only for the members of families with existing graves.

Notable burials

Listed in order of death year:

• Abdullah Cevdet
  Abdullah Cevdet
  Abdullah Cevdet ) was an Ottoman intellectual and a medical doctor by profession of Kurdish descent...
  
   (1869–1932) writer, poet, translator, radical free-thinker and an ideologist of the Young Turks
• Rıza Nur
  Riza Nur
  Riza Nur was a Turkish surgeon, politician and writer.-Early years:After graduating from the Military Medical School in 1901 Riza Nur went on to work as a surgeon at Gülhane Military Hospital before returning to the Military Medical School as an academic in 1907...
  
   (1879–1942) politician, writer
• Adnan Adıvar
  Adnan Adivar
  Abdülhak Adnan Adıvar was a Turkish politician, writer, historian, and by profession a medical doctor. He has done original research and written on history of science...
  
   (1882–1955) physician, politician, writer
• Halide Edip Adıvar
  Halide Edip Adivar
  Halide Edip Adıvar or Halide Edib Adivar was a Turkish novelist and feminist political leader...
  
   (1884–1964) female novelist, feminist politician
• Sabahattin Eyüboğlu
  Sabahattin Eyüboglu
  Sabahattin Eyüboğlu was a Turkish writer, essayist, translator and film producer.- Biography :Sabahatttin Eyüboğlu was born in 1908 on the Black Sea coast town of Akçaabat near Trabzon...
  
   (1908–1973) translator, essayist, film producer
• Samiha Ayverdi (1905–1993) female novelist, Sufi
• Mualla Eyüboğlu
  Mualla Eyüboğlu
  Mualla Eyüboğlu Anhegger was one of the first female architects of Turkey. She is known for her restoration work on the Topkapı Palace harem room and the Rumelihisarı in Istanbul.Eyüboğlu was born in 1919 in Aziziye, Erzurum...
  
   (1919–2009) female architect, restorer
• Necmettin Erbakan
  Necmettin Erbakan
  Necmettin Erbakan was a Turkish engineer, academic, politician , who was the Prime Minister of Turkey from 1996 until 1997. He was Turkey's first Islamist Prime Minister...
  
  (1926–2011) engineer, politician, former prime minister