Jewish Cemetery in Bodrum

2017

My first visit to the Jewish cemetery in Bodrum had to be aborted - It was 2012, the graveyard was in a very neglected state, the grass so long that the gravestones couldn't be seen and there were two camels tethered below the graves.  I was a young pup and became hysterical at the sight of these strange animals - camels are still on my list of 'most hated' just after thunder, helicopters and birds.  It is interesting to note that the word camel comes from the Greek word kamelos and is of Semitic origin.

2012

By 2014 the graveyard had been tidied up and, after a walk by yesterday,  I can confirm that the cemetery is still being looked after.
A famous educator, Avram Galanti, was born in Bodrum in 1873 and from his 1945 book - 'Bodrum History', we know that in 1894 from a total Bodrum population of 6003, 3608 were Muslim, 2264 were Orthodox, 86 were Jewish and 45 were 'foreign'.  When the law was passed that made Turks take surnames, Galanti chose Bodrumlu.

If you'd like to know more about this under-researched aspect of Bodrum life,  'The Bodrum Jewish Cemetery' has just been published, written by Siren Bora with photography and translation by C.M. Köseman, detailing all the graves and giving an insight into the lives of the Jewish community in Bodrum.

To visit on foot,  take the exit road from the main bus station, turn right into the narrow road behind Migros supermarket, walk past the entrance to the High School and the cemetery is on the corner of 1804 Sokak, Yokuşbaşı.