Yazar: Karapapak Türkleri
2025-04-01
The Relationship Between Karapapak Turks Gravestones with Central Asia Gravestone Ulas KILIÇ (Sorumlu yazar / Corresponding author) Doktora Ögrencisi, Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, ulas750@msn.com, ORCID: 0009-0005-5115-037X Abstract Within the scope of the study, the villages and district centers of Karapapak (Terekeme) Turks located in Ardahan, Kars, Kayseri and Sivas provinces were visited and examples of tombstones made by Karapapak Turks and resembling Central Asian stone sculptures were examined in these settlements. Through the tombstones examined in these provinces, it was discussed how a Sunni Turkish tribe called Karapapak, Terekeme or Papakli adopted the tombstone making traditions seen in Huns, Gokturks and other Turks. The tombstones made by Karapapak Turks at the end of the 19th century and in the 20th century will show us that the tradition of making tombstones in the form of human statues continued afterwards. These abstract human statue tombstones were made by a Sunni Turkish tribe in Anatolia and are examples that have close similarities with Central Asian stone sculptures with their head, neck, shoulder, abdomen and in some examples, face, hand, arm and skirt depictions. The most striking aspect of these gravestones, which are generally known to have been made for noble or well-off people, is that almost all of the male graves are covered with a Atif / Citation: Kiliç, U. (2024). Karapapak Türkleri Mezar Taslarinin Orta Asya Mezar Taslariyla Iliskisi. Türk Dünyasi Incelemeleri Dergisi, 24 (2), 507-524. https://doi.org/10.32449/egetdid.1528728 This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0) papak-shaped head form, in order to emphasize the Karapapak identity. As a result of the research, it has been revealed that the tradition of making gravestones in the form of human statues, which began in Central Asia, was continued by the Karapapak Turks until recent times. Keywords: Turkish Gravestones, Karapapak, Central Asia, Stone Father, Stone Granny EXTENDED SUMMARY Due to the cold and harsh climate of the regions they lived in, Turks have used protective hats made of sheep and lamb skins for centuries. The Turkish tribe known as Karapapak, Papakli, or Terekeme has taken its name from the black lambskin hats, called kalpak or papak, which they wore on their heads. The Karapapak Turks, referred to as "Qarapapaq" in Azerbaijani Turkish and "Karapapak" in Turkish, are known as "Karapapak" in Georgia, "Terekeme" in Ardahan, Kars, Agri, and Mus provinces, and "Papakli" in Sivas, Kayseri, Tokat, and Amasya provinces. Throughout the Middle Ages, the Karapapak people, who migrated to the Caucasus region through the northern shores of the Caspian Sea, settled in places such as Darband in Dagestan, Borchali in Georgia, and Kazakh in Azerbaijan. They interacted culturally with other ethnic groups in the region, such as the Kumuk and Kipchak Turks, adopting many cultural elements from these groups. The Karapapak Turks settled in areas such as Kars and Ardahan during the late Ottoman period, and in cities like Erzurum, Sivas, Amasya, Tokat, Agri, Kayseri, Yozgat, and later in Mus during the early Republic period. The Karapapak Turks carried their traditions, customs, and practices to the regions where they settled, including the practice of making gravestones, and continued to create examples in the Central Asian style until the end of the 20th century. This article titled "The Relationship Between Karapapak Turks' Gravestones with Central Asian Gravestones" aims to examine the tombstones of the Karapapak Turks, who settled in Turkey due to Russian pressure, in terms of form and motifs. From the Karakhanids period onwards, as Turks embraced Islam and the new religion considered images and sculptures as sinful, the use of sculptural tombstones gradually declined. However, among Alevi communities and Karapapak (Terekeme) Turks in certain parts of Anatolia, the tradition of making abstract human sculpture-shaped tombstones continued into the 20th century by abstracting them in line with Islamic beliefs. The use of two-dimensional forms instead of three-dimensional sculptures in the tombstones of the Karapapak Turks can be interpreted as a reflection of Islamic thought on tombstone forms. The purpose of creating these sculpture-shaped tombstones was to show respect, gratitude, and reverence for the ancestors, just as seen in Central Asia. In nearly all of the male Karapapak tombstones examined, the headgear, in the form of a papak, is explicitly mentioned. Additionally, the neck, broad body, and narrow waist are also depicted in many of the tombstones. As in the Central Asian examples, the Karapapak people also made such tombstones for nobles and wealthy individuals. The depictions on the Karapapak tombstones vary according to the geography. Some examples carry direct references to the Central Asian stone monuments (stone fathers or stone grandmothers), with representations of faces, hands, arms, clothing, posture, belts, and weapons. In male tombstones, the papak-shaped headgear is included to emphasize their Karapapak origin, and like Central Asian examples, the tombstones are made without ornaments, but with the inclusion of belts, medallions, and weapons. In female tombstones, the papak headgear is not included, and the head is represented in a human head form, with embellishments like necklaces, various jewelry, cypress trees, and flower decorations. In this way, motifs in the Karapapak tombstones can also be directly linked to Central Asian examples. The Karapapak Turks constructed abstract human sculpture- shaped tombstones in the form of rectangular frames, with the body of the stone connected to head and footstones, forming a type of vaulted sarcophagus. The material used for these tombstones was usually sourced from nearby quarries, or in cases where suitable stone was unavailable, it was brought from distant stone beds. This article first provides a brief introduction to the Karapapak (Terekeme) Turks and then explores tombstones from pre-Islamic Central Asia. It then presents details and visuals of the Karapapak tombstones identified in Ardahan, Kars, Kayseri, and Sivas provinces. While dozens of abstract human sculpture-shaped tombstones were found in the regions under study, not all of them could be included in this study. Two tombstones from Ardahan, six tombstones from Kars, and one from Kayseri and Sivas have been analyzed. In the evaluation and conclusion section, information about pre-Islamic Central Asian Turkish tombstones is provided, and the relationship with Karapapak Turkish tombstones is explained. As a result, Karapapak (Terekeme) Turks, in parallel with the pre-Islamic Central Asian Turks, made stone graves in the form of statues and did not abandon this tradition, but continued it until the end of the 20th century by abstracting it with the Islamic faith. These graves seen in Karapapak Turks today have given way to standard type marble graves and the old examples are disappearing one by one. It is important to record these data before they disappear in order to pass on our cultural heritage to future generations. T ÜRK DÜNYAS I I NCE L E M E L E RI DE RG I S I J o u r n a l o f T u r k i s h W o r l d S t u d i e s 24/2 Kis-Winter 2024, 507-524 | Arastirma Makalesi - Research Paper Gelis Tarihi - Submitted: 05.07.2024 Kabul Tarihi - Accepted: 25.11.2024 | DOI: 10.32449/egetdid.1528728