The first martyrdom belonging to Anatolian Turks: Cennet Çukuru

Located in Konya, the place called Cennet Çukuru, where the Seljuk soldiers who came to Konya were martyred and which holds the distinction of being the first martyrdom belonging to Anatolian Turks, stands out with its large tombstones. In Musalla Cemetery, which is located in the central Seljuk district of Konya and bears the distinction of being the largest cemetery in Konya, there is a place called Cennet Çukuru. Cennet Çukuru is rumored to be the area where the Seljuk soldiers who came to Konya as the leading unit after the 1071 Battle of Malazgirt, entering Anatolia, were captured by the Byzantine soldiers in the city at that time and martyred. When Konya was later conquered by the Seljuks in the following years, this area was designated as a martyrdom, and large tombstones made of Sille stones were erected for the martyrs. The inscriptions on these tombstones that have survived to the present day also attract the attention of the visitors to the cemetery. In this place, unknown to most of the residents of Konya, new burials were banned in 1989 by the decision of the municipality, and the area was fenced off.
The first mass grave martyrdom belonging to the Anatolian Turks
On the information plaque placed at the entrance of Cennet Çukuru by Konya Metropolitan Municipality, it is stated, “The 410th plot, known as the oldest place of the cemetery, is the place called Cennet Çukuru. There is an old blind well at the edge of this place. It is rumored that for many years, the people of Konya irrigated the land with water taken from this well. It is said that this is the first mass grave martyrdom belonging to the Anatolian Turks. This is the place where the advance units sent by Sultan Alparslan before the conquest of Anatolia by the Byzantines were martyred.”
“We are in a place referred to as the first martyrdom of Anatolia”
Yaşar Barışık, a retired German teacher who has been the headman in Konya’s Feritpaşa Neighborhood for 16 years, said, “We are in a place referred to as the first martyrdom of Anatolia. The name of this place is Cennet Çukuru. Why is it called Cennet Çukuru? In 1071, Sultan Alparslan sent 187 Seljuk Alperen soldiers to the Byzantines in Konya who were there in those years. However, advance forces had previously come to Konya. The 187 Seljuk Alperen soldiers who arrived here were tied by the Byzantine soldiers of that period without any interrogation, with their hands and feet tied in the form of pig bind, and buried alive in the swamps of this area as it was swampy back then. The remaining soldiers were martyred by being burned in a large pit.”
“Took under protection and imposed a burial ban”
Headman Yaşar Barışık expressed that Musalla Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in Konya and said, “The area we call Musalla Cemetery was a swamp in the years 1071. Until 1989, burials were taking place in this area. Our municipality took it under protection and imposed a burial ban decision. Currently, there is already a burial ban in Musalla Cemetery.”
“You feel as if you are living the spirits of our martyrs”
Providing detailed information about Cennet Çukuru, headman Barışık said, “When you come here and visit, you feel chills. You feel as if you are living the spirits of our martyrs. When we say Cennet Çukuru, there is a well here. If you ask what is special about this water well, until 1987, our people who went to Hajj or Umrah from Turkey could not bring more than 4-5 liters of Zamzam water. They would take water from this well, mix the 4-5 liters of Zamzam they brought with these waters, and serve it to their guests.”