Silent Guardians of Cemeteries in Turkey: Bulbous Plants

Abstract

Cemeteries are unique and important places for many different societies. In Turkey, muslims bury their dead in cemeteries with specific methods of measurements, and they give a special importance to the cemeteries where their loved ones have been buried. It is their duty to keep those cemeteries clean, and to maintain the trees. It is also believed that plants worship God in their own way, which is why damaging grasses and trees in the cemeteries is considered inappropriate. Moreover, people usually decorate the cemeteries which hold the graves of their deceased relatives and they plant various plants on the top and in front of them. With today's urbanization there are increased regulations on the maintenance of graves. Thus, village cemeteries are a refuge for many native bulbous plants which are under threat of destruction. Planting in cemeteries eases their maintenance and they become beautiful places full of fragrant flowers and bulbous plants. In Turkey, the most common bulbous plants grown in cemeteries are: iris, tulip, daffodil, hyacinth and crown imperial. In this study, different flower bulbs that grow in different regions of Anatolia have been identified, and information is given on the bulbous plants grown in cemeteries in various parts of the country.