Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
TURK KULTURU VE HACI BEKTAS VELI-ARASTIRMA DERGISI, sa.61, ss.27-42, 2012 (AHCI)
Grave, funerals and traditional rituals has kept its importance from primitive communities to developed civilizations by enriching its meaning at all stages. Particularly in Turkish culture, death notion has as a deep meaning as it cannot be compared to many other societies. It has been found that Turks have put special symbols about the death one and situated human or animal shaped sculptures on the graves since very early periods. It has forced us to research the connection between Central Asia and Anatolia that we encounter similar ones of those special symbols and sculptures in Anatolia. Turkish tradition of situating gravestones with figures and in the shape of sculpture emerged in BC periods and maintained carefully because of its meaning in all regions of Central Asia. With this meaning, this tradition still continues in Anatolia even in Balkans. It has gained a different meaning by the defining it as death man's peace. Moreover, situating these sculptures for the memory of Alps who died far away from their homes has generated a reason for respect. Applications of this tradition in Anatolia and Balkans in a strong manner are an exciting founding which proves continuation of Turkish art and culture. In this study, it has been aimed to put forward that these sculptures, which have been thought to be limited within some certain regions of Anatolia, have a great importance in Turkish culture and they have been an expressive funeral for respectable people. This study also tries to compare the sculptures both in Central Asia and Anatolia and establish the connection between them on a strong socio-cultural ground.