Turkish Military Cemetery

{{Infobox cemetery

| name = Turkish Military Cemetery

| native_name = Iċ-Ċimiterju tat-Torok

| native_name_lang = mt

| image = Turkish Military Cemetery, Malta 27.jpg

| image_size = 300px

| caption = The Turkish Military Cemetery in 2017

| established = 1874

| closed =

| location = Marsa, Malta

| coordinates = {{coord|35|52|24|N|14|29|38|E|display=inline, title}}

| type =

| style = Neo-Ottoman

(Indo-Mughal – Oriental Eclecticism)

| owner = Government of Turkey

| size = {{convert|2372|m2|abbr=on}}{{cite news |last1=Micallef |first1=Keith |title=New book sheds light on Galizia's Turkish delight |url=https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20161107/local/new-book-sheds-light-on-galizias-turkish-delight.630288 |work=Times of Malta |date=7 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140702/https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20161107/local/new-book-sheds-light-on-galizias-turkish-delight.630288 |archive-date=12 June 2018}}

| graves =

}}

The Turkish Military Cemetery ({{langx|mt|Iċ-Ċimiterju tat-Torok}}; {{langx|tr|Türk Şehitliği}}), also known as the Ottoman Military Cemetery ({{langx|tr|Osmanlı Şehitliği}}), is a cemetery in Marsa, Malta. Commissioned by the Ottoman sultan Abdul Aziz to replace an earlier Muslim cemetery, it was constructed between 1873 and 1874. The cemetery was designed by the Maltese architect Emanuele Luigi Galizia, and it is built in an exotic orientalist style. It is maintained by the Turkish government. Originally the cemetery was referred to as the Mahomedan Cemetery such as on documents, and also referred to as the Martyrs’ Cemetery in Turkey such as on a historic painting.

History

File:Turkish Cemetery at Spencer Hill, Marsa, Malta.jpeg

A number of Muslim cemeteries have been located in various locations around Marsa since the 16th century. A cemetery in il-Menqa contained the graves of Ottoman soldiers killed in the Great Siege of Malta of 1565 as well as Muslim slaves who died in Malta.{{cite book|last=Cassar|first=Paul|date=1965|title=Medical History of Malta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lf3QAAAAMAAJ&q=marsa+cemetery|publisher=Wellcome Historical Medical Library|page=115}}{{cite book|last=Savona-Ventura|first=Charles|date=2016|title=Medical Perspectives of Battle Conflicts in Malta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ExK_DQAAQBAJ&pg=PA19|publisher=Lulu|isbn=978-1-326-88693-6|pages=19, 20}} This cemetery was replaced in 1675 by another one near Spencer Hill (Via della Croce),{{cite book|last=Wettinger|first=Godfrey|date=2002|title=Slavery in the Islands of Malta and Gozo ca. 1000–1812|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lry4AAAAIAAJ&q=1675|publisher=Publishers Enterprises Group|isbn=9789990903164|pages=144–172}} following the construction of the Floriana Lines. Human remains believed to originate from one of these cemeteries were discovered during road works in 2012.{{cite news |last1=Borg |first1=Bertrand |title=Workmen discover a Muslim cemetery |url=https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120211/local/Workmen-discover-a-Muslim-cemetery.406205 |work=Times of Malta |date=11 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915001840/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120211/local/Workmen-discover-a-Muslim-cemetery.406205 |archive-date=15 September 2012}}{{cite book|last=Buttigieg|first=Emanuel|date=2018|chapter=Early modern Valletta: beyond the Renaissance city|title=Humillima civitas Vallettae : from Mount Xebb-er-Ras to European capital of culture|editor1=Margaret Abdilla Cunningham|editor2=Maroma Camilleri|editor3=Godwin Vella|chapter-url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/38850/1/Early_modern_Valletta_beyond_the_renaissance_city_2018.pdf|publisher=Malta Libraries and Heritage Malta|pages=173–183|isbn=9789993257554|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701184437/https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/38850/1/Early_modern_Valletta_beyond_the_renaissance_city_2018.pdf|archive-date=1 July 2019}} The 17th-century cemetery had to be relocated in 1865 to make way for planned road works, with one tombstone dating to 1817 being conserved at the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta.{{cite journal|title=Un'Iscrizione Turca Del 1817 A Malta|first=Vincenza|last=Grassi|journal=Oriente Moderno|volume= 6(67)|issue=4–6|date=June 1987|pages=99–100|publisher=Istituto per l'Oriente|doi=10.1163/22138617-0670406004|editor=C. A. Nallino|jstor=25817002}} The remains of a cemetery, together with the foundations of a mosque, and an even more earlier Roman period remains are located at Triq Dicembru 13, Marsa.{{cite web|url=https://culture.gov.mt/en/culturalheritage/Documents/form/SCHAnnualReport2012.pdf|title=Annual report 2012|website=culture.gov.mt|access-date=29 May 2023}}

File:Turkish Military Cemetery, Malta 06.jpg

A piece of land in the Ta' Sammat area of Marsa was chosen as the new location in 1871.{{cite book|last1=Hughes|first1=Quentin|last2=Thake|first2=Conrad|title=Malta, War & Peace: An Architectural Chronicle 1800–2000|date=2005|publisher=Midsea Books Ltd|isbn=9789993270553|pages=80–81|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=75IgAAAACAAJ}} The new cemetery was commissioned by the Ottoman sultan Abdülaziz, and it was constructed between 1873 and 1874.{{cite book|last=Zammit|first=Martin R.|date=2012|title=Yearbook of Muslims in Europe|chapter=Malta|chapter-url=https://brill.com/previewpdf/book/edcoll/9789004184763/Bej.9789004184756.i-712_031.xml|doi=10.1163/ej.9789004184756.i-712.483|volume=2|publisher=BRILL|pages=143–158|isbn=9789004184756|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701190606/https://brill.com/previewpdf/book/edcoll/9789004184763/Bej.9789004184756.i-712_031.xml|archive-date=1 July 2019}} Construction took over six months to complete.{{cite journal|last=Grassi|first=Vincenza|date=2004|journal=Studi Magrebini|title=The Turkish Cemetery at Marsa on Malta Island|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rO1wAAAAMAAJ&q=Ottoman+Cemetery+Malta|volume=2|publisher=Istituto Universitario Orientale|pages=177–201|issn=0585-4954}} It was designed by the Maltese architect Emanuele Luigi Galizia, who designed many other buildings in a range of contrasting styles,{{cite journal|first=Conrad|last=Thake|title=Emanuele Luigi Galizia (1830–1907): Architect of the Romantic Movement|url=http://www.patrimonju.org/content.aspx?id=119957&subId=117287|journal=The Treasures of Malta|volume=6|issue=3|date=Summer 2000|pages=37–42}}{{cite news |title=A close look at the Turkish cemetery |url=https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20170301/social/A-close-look-at-the-Turkish-cemetery.641076 |work=Times of Malta |date=1 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170423092751/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20170301/social/A-close-look-at-the-Turkish-cemetery.641076 |archive-date=23 April 2017}} including the mixed-denomination Ta' Braxia Cemetery and the Catholic Addolorata Cemetery.{{cite news |title=Three main cemeteries in Malta built by the same man |url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2012-11-11/news/three-main-cemeteries-in-malta-built-by-the-same-man-370606086/ |work=The Malta Independent |date=11 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161030142220/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2012-11-11/news/three-main-cemeteries-in-malta-built-by-the-same-man-370606086 |archive-date=30 October 2016}}{{cite journal|journal=Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon: Die Bildenden Künstler Aller Zeiten und Völker|volume=47|last=Meissner|first=Günter|date=2005|title=Gabor – Gallardus|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u7xHAQAAIAAJ&q=L+Galizia|publisher=Saur|language=de|page=495|isbn=978-3-598-22787-5}} The outcome and reception of the later was pertinent for the appointment of Galizia as the architect of the Turkish Military Cemetery.{{cite book|last=Mahoney|first=Leonardo|date=1996|title=5,000 Years of Architecture in Malta |publisher=Valletta Publishing|page=236|isbn=9789990958157}} The design for the project was unique in Maltese architecture at that point.{{cite book|last=Rudolf|first=Uwe Jens|date=2018|title=Historical Dictionary of Malta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lmZwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA30|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|page=30|isbn=978-1-5381-1918-1}} Galizia was awarded the Order of the Medjidie by the Ottoman sultan for designing the Turkish cemetery, and thus was made a Knight of that order.{{cite journal|journal=Scientia|last=Galea|first=R. V.|date=1942|title=The Architecture of Malta|url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Scientia%20(Malta)/Scientia.%2008(1942)4(Oct.-Dec.)/01.pdf|volume=4|issue=1|pages=159, 160|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180403112454/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Scientia%20(Malta)/Scientia.%2008(1942)4(Oct.-Dec.)/01.pdf|archive-date=3 April 2018}} At the end of the 19th century the cemetery became a landmark by its own due to its picturesque architecture.{{cite book|last=Borg|first=Malcolm|date=2001|title=British Colonial Architecture: Malta, 1800–1900|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lZ1QAAAAMAAJ&q=mohammedan|publisher=Publishers Enterprises Group|isbn=9789990903003|page=97}} On the turn of the 20th century it became an obligation to acquire a permission from the Health Department for each burial within the cemetery for sanitary purposes.{{cite book|last=Savona-Ventura|first=Charles|date=2016|title=Contemporary Medicine in Malta (1798–1979)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eMgkDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA92|publisher=Lulu|page=92|isbn=978-1-326-64899-2}}

Due to the absence of a mosque at the time, the cemetery was generally used for Friday prayers until the construction of a mosque in Paola.{{cite book|last=Zammit|first=Martin R.|chapter=Malta|editor1=Jørgen Schøler Nielsen|editor2=Samim Akgönül|editor3=Ahmet Alibašić|editor4=Brigitte Maréchal|editor5=Christian Moe|date=2009|title=Yearbook of Muslims in Europe|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WiijLleylbEC&pg=PA233|publisher=BRILL|volume=1|isbn=9789004175051|page=233}} The small mosque at the cemetery was intended to be used for prayers during an occasional burial ceremony,{{cite magazine|date=November 1875|magazine=Mechanics' Magazine|title=The Mahomedan Cemetery, Malta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r1RGAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA343|volume=3|issue=11|publisher=The Canadian Patent Office Record|pages=343, 352}} but the building and the courtyard of the cemetery became frequently used as the only public prayer site for Muslims until the early 1970s. A properly sized mosque was designed by Architect Galizia but the project was abandoned. The plans are available in Turkish archives in Istanbul which hold the words “Progetto di una moschea – Cimitero Musulmano“ (Project for a mosque – Muslim Cemetery). A possible reason for shelving the project was the economic situation and political decline of the Ottoman Empire.{{Cite news|date=24 May 2019|first=Keith|last=Micallef|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/plans-for-a-galizia-mosque-unearthed-in-ottoman-archives.710813|title=Plans for a 'Galizia' mosque unearthed in Ottoman archives: Small mosque had been planned within Muslim cemetery|work=Times of Malta}} The place became too small eventually for the growing Muslim community.[https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/51579/1/Miraculous_crucifix_to_be_restored_through_BOVs_support.PDF Cordina, J. C. (2018, December 30). Islamic Centre in Malta commemorates its 40th Anniversary. The Malta Independent, pp. 37.]

A Jewish cemetery was built directly adjacent to the Turkish cemetery in 1879. It was designed by the English architect Webster Paulson in a neoclassical style. Lieutenant-Governor Sir Harry Luke, perhaps unaware that Turkic people are not Arabs, later stated that the area "is the only place in the world where Arabs and Jews lie peacefully together."{{cite journal|last1=Gauci|first1=Matthew|title=New light on Webster Paulson and his architectural idiosyncrasies|journal=Proceedings of History Week|date=2009|page=143|url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Proceedings%20of%20History%20Week/PHW2009/09s.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729222529/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Proceedings%20of%20History%20Week/PHW2009/09s.pdf|archive-date=29 July 2017}}

File:The Ottoman Muslim Cemetery in Malta, Marsa. Tumbstone.jpg

The bodies of 23 Moroccan passengers recovered from the SS Sardinia disaster in 1908 were buried at the Turkish Military Cemetery. The passengers had been on the way to Mecca for the Hajj pilgrimage when the ship burst into flames, killing at least 118 people.{{cite news |title=The Tragic end of the 'Maltese Titanic' |url=https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2012-10-07/news/the-tragic-end-of-the-maltese-titanic-317022/ |work=The Malta Independent |date=7 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200118021148/https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2012-10-07/news/the-tragic-end-of-the-maltese-titanic-317022/ |archive-date=18 January 2020}} During World War I, some Turkish prisoners of war who died in Malta were buried inside the cemetery. The cemetery was restored from March 1919 to October 1920, during which period it also saw renovation with the addition of a monument commemorating the World War I prisoners of war who died in Malta and the building of a prominent fountain. The project was executed by the Ottoman Officer Kuşcubaşı Eşref Bey.{{cite book|last=Fortna|first=Benjamin C.|date=2016|title=The Circassian: A Life of Eşref Bey, Late Ottoman Insurgent and Special Agent|chapter=Prisoner of War|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TjooDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA221|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=221|isbn=978-0-19-049244-1}} The cemetery also contains the graves of some Muslim soldiers from Commonwealth countries (seven from World War I and four from World War II) as well as fifteen French soldiers. The Commonwealth and French war graves are cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.{{cite web |title=Turkish Military Cemetery, Marsa |url=https://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/11208/Turkish%20Military%20Cemetery,%20Marsa |website=Commonwealth War Graves Commission |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713225713/http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/11208/TURKISH%20MILITARY%20CEMETERY,%20MARSA |archive-date=13 July 2017}}

File:Turkish Military Cemetery, Malta 20.jpg

The cemetery was evidently lacking maintenance with its decay observed in early 2002.{{cite news|last=Baker|first=Jennifer|author-link=Jennifer Baker (journalist)|date=January 2002|title=Turkish delight|work=The Malta Independent}} It further fell into a state of disrepair after a new Muslim cemetery was opened near the Mariam Al-Batool Mosque in Paola in 2006.{{cite news |last1=Martin |first1=Ivan |title=Turkish cemetery must be restored |url=https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130523/local/-Turkish-cemetery-must-be-restored-.470859 |work=Times of Malta |date=23 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208220519/https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130523/local/-Turkish-cemetery-must-be-restored-.470859 |archive-date=8 December 2018}} Deterioration occurred since the area is prone to flooding, due to pollution since the site is close to major roads, and due to natural factors such as lightning strikes which damaged some architectural details.{{cite news |last1=Thake |first1=Conrad |title=The Ottoman Turkish cemetery a plea for its conservation |url=https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/arts/architecture/35105/the_ottoman_turkish_cemetery_a_plea_for_its_conservation#.XAw7YGhKg2w |work=Malta Today |date=1 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712022410/https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/arts/architecture/35105/the_ottoman_turkish_cemetery_a_plea_for_its_conservation#.XAw7YGhKg2w |archive-date=12 July 2018}} Further damage has been caused by car accidents.{{cite news|last=Debono|first=James|date=18 September 2016|title=Turkish ambassador objecting to petrol pump next to Muslim cemetery: Turkish embassy says it is "rightful custodian of the cemetery"|url=https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/728388-mt-18-september-2016/7?|work=Malta Today|issue=880|page=8}} A project to restore the cemetery began in 2015,{{cite news |last1=Demicoli |first1=Keith |title=Extensive restoration work at Turkish cemetery "to restore it to its former glory" |url=https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/extensive-restoration-work-at-turkish-cemetery-to-restore-it-to-its-former-glory/ |work=TVM |date=22 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181208223737/https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/extensive-restoration-work-at-turkish-cemetery-to-restore-it-to-its-former-glory/ |archive-date=8 December 2018}} being sponsored by the Turkish government.{{cite news |title=Photos: Turkish cemetery is being returned to its former glory |url=https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180109/community/photos-turkish-cemetery-is-being-returned-to-its-former-glory.667560 |work=Times of Malta |date=9 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718155227/https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180109/community/photos-turkish-cemetery-is-being-returned-to-its-former-glory.667560 |archive-date=18 July 2018}}

In July 2016 there was a planning application for a fuel station next to the cemetery and, if a favourable decision would have been taken, this may have been a possible ‘burial’ to the architecture of the cemetery itself.{{Cite web|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/turkish-embassy-objects-to-fuel-station-near-cemetery.618463|title=Turkish Embassy objects to fuel station near cemetery|website=Times of Malta}}{{cite news|last=Falzon|first=Mark-Anthony|date=20 November 2016|title=A Study in Orientalist architecture|url=https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20161120/books/a-study-in-orientalist-architecture.631594|work=Times of Malta}} The application, presented by the company Cassar Fuel, was opposed by the Turkish government and several Maltese entities.{{Cite web|url=http://www.gazetevatan.com/-turk-sehitligi-yanina-benzinci-yapamazsiniz--988069-gundem/|title='Türk şehitliği yanına benzinci yapamazsınız' | GAZETE VATAN|website=www.gazetevatan.com}} Another development application on the same site was submitted to the planning authority in August 2019 for an industrial garage, which received opposition by the Marsa Local Council and the Turkish government representatives.{{Cite web|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/historic-cemetery-faces-barbaric-proposal.729314|title=Historic cemetery faces 'barbaric' proposal|website=Times of Malta}}{{cite news|date=19 September 2019|work=Times of Malta|title=Marsa council objects to plans for twenty-nine industrial garages next to Turkish cemetery: Says no building that could mar cemetery should be allowed|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/marsa-council-objects-to-plans-for-industrial-garage-next-to-turkish.736493}}{{Cite web|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/industrial-complex-could-cause-further-damage-to-iconic-cemetery.738765|title=Industrial complex could cause further damage to iconic cemetery|website=Times of Malta}} In November 2019 the applicant withdrew the proposed development.{{Cite web|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/barbaric-proposal-next-to-maltas-taj-mahal-withdrawn.749569|title='Barbaric' proposal next to Malta's 'Taj Mahal' withdrawn|website=Times of Malta}} Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna has suggested to completely clear the nearby derelict building and instead of new commercial activity the area may be renovated into a landscaped open space, how it initially was meant to be.{{Cite news | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-49877982 |title = Campaigners unite over Malta's Turkish cemetery|work = BBC News|date = 2019-09-30}}

Today the cemetery falls under the responsibility of the Turkish government, and it is scheduled as a Grade 1 building.{{cite web |title=Threat to historic Turkish cemetery at Marsa |url=https://dinlarthelwa.org/uncategorized/threat-to-historic-turkish-cemetery-at-marsa/ |website=Din l-Art Ħelwa |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221223501/http://dinlarthelwa.org/uncategorized/threat-to-historic-turkish-cemetery-at-marsa/ |archive-date=21 December 2016 |date=8 July 2016}} It is usually inaccessible to the public and people must first contact the Turkish embassy to arrange a visit. Turkish Minister for Agriculture, Food and Livestock Mehmet Mehdi Eker visited the cemetery in 2012.{{cite news|date=27 September 2012|title=Turkish food minister visits Turkish martyrs' cemetery in Malta: Turkey's Agriculture, Food, & Animal Breeding Minister Mehdi Eker visited Turkish martyrs' cemetery in Malta on Thursday.|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkish-food-minister-visits-turkish-martyrs-cemetery-in-malta/332170|work=Anadolu Ajancy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181223112400/https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkish-food-minister-visits-turkish-martyrs-cemetery-in-malta/332170|archive-date=23 December 2018}} Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım visited the cemetery in 2017.{{cite news |title=Turkish PM visits Turkish Cemetery at Marsa |url=https://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/il-pm-tork-izur-ic-cimturkish-pm-visits-turkish-cemetery-at-marsaiterju-tat-torok-fil-marsa/ |work=TVM |date=17 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218215327/http://www.tvm.com.mt/en/news/il-pm-tork-izur-ic-cimturkish-pm-visits-turkish-cemetery-at-marsaiterju-tat-torok-fil-marsa/ |archive-date=18 February 2017}} Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited the cemetery in 2024.{{Cite web |title=Visit of Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan to Malta, 5-6 February 2024, Valetta / Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs |url=https://www.mfa.gov.tr/sayin-bakanimizin-malta-yi-ziyareti--5-6-subat-2024--valetta.en.mfa |access-date=2024-05-18 |website=www.mfa.gov.tr}}

Architecture

File:MC-POSTCARD TURKISH CEMETERY.jpg

The Turkish Military Cemetery is designed in a flamboyant, eclectic and exotic style related to the Orientalist and Romantic movements.{{cite news |last1=Petroni |first1=Nikki |title=Politics, aesthetics and the Ottoman Cemetery |url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2016-07-25/newspaper-lifestyleculture/Politics-aesthetics-and-the-Ottoman-Cemetery-6736161485 |work=The Malta Independent |date=25 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426212624/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2016-07-25/newspaper-lifestyleculture/Politics-aesthetics-and-the-Ottoman-Cemetery-6736161485 |archive-date=26 April 2018}} The Royal Pavilion in Brighton by John Nash probably served as a source of inspiration. The writer and artist Terrance Mikail Patrick Duggan has called the cemetery "the Ottoman Taj Mahal" and has referred to it as "the least known and certainly today the most important surviving nineteenth century Ottoman building to have been built beyond the borders of the Ottoman Sultanate."

The cemetery is built out of Maltese limestone, and some of the stonework contains intricately carved geometric designs. It has a rectangular plan, and the walled enclosure includes minaret-like structures. The entrance is through a central structure which has an onion dome and four minarets. All minarets are topped with proportionate limestone copulas.{{cite book|last=Evans|first=G. H.|date=1909|title=Guide to Malta and Gozo, with map and illustrations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QHE2AAAAMAAJ&q=Ottoman+Cemetery+Malta|publisher=J. Griffin|pages=73}} Inside the cemetery there is an arcaded structure with horseshoe arches, and an ablution fountain in an open courtyard.

Without exception, all those buried at the cemetery are to be assumed as professing the Islamic faith before their death.{{cite book|title=Commemorative Spaces of the First World War: Historical Geographies at the Centenary|edition=1|editor1=James Wallis|editor2=David C. Harvey|date=2017|publisher=Routledge|chapter=Malta in the First World War: an appraisal through cartography and local newspapers|first1=John A.|last1=Schembri|first2=Ritienne|last2=Gauci|first3=Stefano|last3=Furlani|first4=Raphael|last4=Mizzi|pages=68–82|isbn=978-1-317-30925-3|doi=10.4324/9781315651170-5}} The grave markers in the cemetery are orientated such that they face Mecca. 19th and early 20th centuries tombs bear old Turkish inscription with the use of Islamic calligraphy.{{cite journal|last=Ambros|first=Arne A.|date=2005|journal=Cemetery at Marsa, Malta|title=Wiener Zeitschrift für die Kunde des Morgenlandes|volume=WZKM|issue=95|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2DNhAAAAMAAJ&q=Ottoman+Cemetery+Malta|publisher=Selbstverlag des Orientalischen Instituts, Universität Wien|location=Vienna|pages=7–17}} People buried in the cemetery originate from different countries, including Turkey, Algeria, Egypt, French Polynesia, Libya, India, Indonesia, Morocco, Myanmar and Somalia. While the Ottoman Sultan was a Muslim, his consulate who managed the realisation of the project was a Jew (Naum Duhanî Efendi), and the architect a Roman Catholic.{{cite web|last=Vella|date=8 December 2016|first=Leslie|title=A monument to diversity and peaceful co-existence|url=https://leslievella.wordpress.com/2016/12/08/a-monument-to-diversity-and-peaceful-co-existence/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210161117/https://leslievella.wordpress.com/2016/12/08/a-monument-to-diversity-and-peaceful-co-existence/|archive-date=10 December 2018}} A marble with French inscription commemorates this inside the cemetery.

The inscription reads:{{cite book|title=Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Cultures of the Islamic World|editor=Gülru Necipoğlu|last=Thake|first=Conrad|date=January 2016|chapter=Envisioning the orient: The new muslim cemetery in Malta|chapter-url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/311929573|volume=33|publisher=BRILL|isbn=9789004322820|pages=221–151}}

{{Blockquote|{{center|

ALORS – QUE – LE – SOLEIL – SERA – COURBÉ

ET – LES – ÉTOILES – TOMBERONT

DES – TOMBEAUX – SCELLÉS – PAR – LA – MORT

SERONT – BOULEVERSÉS

ET – DE – CE – LIT – DE – POUSSIÈRE

EVEILLÉS – DU – SOMMEIL

SORTIRONT – ROYONNANTS

LES – ENFANTS – DE – LA – FOI – ET – DE – LA – PRIÈRE

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DIEU – N’EST – IL – PAS – ASSEZ – PUISSANT

POUR – FAIRE – REVIVRE – LES – MORTS

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ÉRIGÉ – EN – L’ANNÉE – DE – L’HÉGIRE – 1290

SOUS – LE – RÈGNE – DE – SA – MAJESTÈ – IMPÉRIAL

ABDUL – AZIZ – KHAN

EMPEREUR – DES – OTTOMANS

NAOUM – DUHANY- EFEENDY

SON – CONSUL – GÉNÉRAL – À – MALTE

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E. L. GALIZIA – ARCHITECTE

}}}}

(Meaning: As the sun will set and the stars will fall, tombs sealed by death will be disturbed and from this bed of dust awakened from sleep they will emerge radiant the children of the faith and of prayer.

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Is not God mighty enough to revive the dead?

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Erected in the year 1290AH (1874) during the reign of his Imperial Majesty Abdul Aziz Khan Emperor of the Ottomans.

Naoum Duhany Efeendy – his Consul General to Malta.

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E. L. Galizia – Architect)

A picture of the cemetery appears on an official postcard.{{Cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yxk3AQAAIAAJ&q=turkish+cemetery+Malta | title=Maltese picture postcards: The definitive catalogue| isbn=9789995720315| last1=Abela Medici| first1=Anthony J.| year=2009|page=260}}

Turkish Military Cemetery

History

Architecture

See also

References

Further reading