It looks odd compared to 19th-century carvings we’re used to seeing in other parts of the world, but there’s nothing that off about this highly regularized style popping up in Istanbul. Was this the only stone carved in this style, or were there others?

I actually didn't look further for this style, but I will go back this week and check out.

dr

I actually didn't look further for this style, but I will go back this week and check out.

In the middle of the cemetery, there is a quite weird buidling; a sign explains that they took a whole cemetery away from another part of the city around 1870 and they put all the bones in this building, whiwh they built using the stones from the graveyards... It's a truely both creepy and fascinating frankenstein architecture. Here are some pics of the thing, the letterforms are sometimes amazing, especially when put altogether like this, side by side.

dr

http://www.davidrault.com/cemetery/L1020882.jpg
http://www.davidrault.com/cemetery/L1020883.jpg
http://www.davidrault.com/cemetery/L1020885.jpg
http://www.davidrault.com/cemetery/L1020889.jpg
http://www.davidrault.com/cemetery/L1020891.jpg
http://www.davidrault.com/cemetery/L1020895.jpg
http://www.davidrault.com/cemetery/L1020898.jpg

dr

That is crazy how you can see the bones of the dead in the large grave on the third picture down.

Weird!

Wow, David.

Weird - and kind of wonderful.

They do something like that around here (Toronto), when old graves are moved or reclaimed they'll take the headstones and mount them on a new monument. But no quite like that. Of course around here, 1800's is old. I'll post some images in a day or so.

The sans is quite interesting. I often wonder how much type or lettering styles are influenced by the medium (stone carving is, after all, different from calligraphy with a broad nibbed pen.. ) or contemporaneous fashions and styles. And, I'm guessing in the case of a European cemetery in Turkey, the cultural background, training and influences of the stone carver has something to do with it.

-=®=-

wesley... you should visit the paris catacombs! 1 1/2 mile of bone-built walls

Yes, it is indeed creepy and fantastic. I've seen before old cemeteries being moved away in a crypt, but this is a first for me. About the letterings, it's very interesting for me to see some letters which remind me a lot of Bodoni's style on graveyards that were carved very far away from italy, and of course this very modern sans...

dr