The tomb, located at the foot of Melikgazi Castle in Melikgazi Village of Kayseri’s Pınarbaşı district, belongs to Emir Melikgazi (1104-1134), one of the Danişmentliler. At the bottom of the tomb, there are three mummified bodies thought to belong to Melikgazi. The upper floor, where the sarcophagus is located, was carefully constructed from thin and flat bricks. This tomb, built entirely of bricks, displays a fine example of craftsmanship with its carefully placed brick decorations in geometric patterns.
The second ruler of the Danishmentids, who played an important role in the Turkification of Anatolia and resisted the Crusaders. The mummified body of Melikgazi found in KayseriIt was torn to pieces by the public due to the influence of superstition. Some people even boiled the tooth they took from Melikgazi’s body and drank its water, some took off a strand of her hair, and some took away her hand.
second ruler of the Danishmentites melikgaziHe participated in countless wars and became a great leader for his people. However, the pain he experienced increased after his death. The fact that Melikgazi’s body was mummified caused him to be accepted as a kind of saint among the people. With this belief, the helpless began to take pieces from his body to find healing. Those who have no children, those who are looking for luck and those who are looking for a cure for their diseases have literally plundered the mummy of Melikgazi.
Historian Halit Erkiletlioğlu stated that after Melikgazi died due to a fever, his body was embalmed and placed in his tomb in Kayseri. In 1935, Melikgazi’s hand was severed and taken abroad, and in 1978, the mummified body suffered great damage due to a fire caused by people entering the tomb. As efforts were made to extinguish the fire, the damage to the mummy increased further.
Plunder of Melikgazi Tomb and Mummy
In 1947, Ankara University History Institute students and assistants organize a trip. After the trip ends, one of the assistants decides to stay in Kayseri and wishes to visit the Melikgazi Tomb. Who is this name? Of course, the famous historian Halil İnalcık!
Halil İnalcık, ‘Melikgazi Tomb’He says that he will never forget the moment he visited for the rest of his life. Melikgazi village, which is connected to Kayseri’s Pınarbaşı district and takes its name from the tomb, is popularly known as “Mausoleums” It is known as. The 12-meter-high Melikgazi Tomb has a two-storey structure, and on the lower floor there is a mummy thought to belong to Melikgazi, the ruler of the Danişmentliler. During his visit to the tomb, Halil İnalcık expressed great excitement by stating that the mummy, which was in a wooden coffin and wrapped in cotton, belonged to a tall person.
However, over the years, Melikgazi’s mummy was damaged and not even a trace remained. Nothing happened to this mummy, which has been preserved since the 12th century. In 1935, one of the visitors Steals Melikgazi’s left hand. At that time, it was believed that the mummy’s hand would heal incurable diseases. Although the identity of the person who stole the hand is unknown, this event is the beginning of the first search for healing. According to another rumor, Melikgazi’s teeth are removed from his mouth, ground and mixed with water, and it is thought that this water will heal the patient.
Mummy belonging to Melikgazi, Over time, it is seen as a source of healing among the people. According to a newspaper report, it is stated that the stolen skin and bones were cut into pieces and added to the soup and given to barren women to drink. It is thought that this condition is commonly used by women who cannot have children. It is also believed that these parts are used to increase sexual potency. As if these healing beliefs were not enough, it is said that deer milk was mixed into the mortar of the tomb. Since deer milk is accepted as a source of healing among the people, over time the walls of the tomb begin to peel off and disintegrate.
These superstitions and plunder of Melikgazi’s mummy mark an important turning point both historically and culturally. Halil İnalcık’s visit to the tomb is remembered as a testimony showing how strong these ancient beliefs and the people’s search for healing are.
Melikgazi Mummy About plunder Narrations
Narrations, Melikgazi’s mummyIt never ends around. According to another rumor, in 1978, visitors entering the area where the mummy was located on the lower floor with a candle in their hands caused the mummy to catch fire. Although this fire was tried to be extinguished with water to prevent the mummy from being damaged, this time the mummy suffered more damage due to getting wet with water. Moreover, it is said that after the fire, half of the mummy’s skull was blackened. What happened to Melikgazi’s mummy really never ends.
In 1996, with the end of an era and claims that these events were fabricated, it was decided to bury Melikgazi’s mummy. The mummy, which was buried under the leadership of the Regional Directorate of Foundations, was accepted as a historical artifact by the decision of the Kayseri Cultural and Natural Heritage Preservation Board in 2000, and this mummy buried in the ground was re-excavated. At that time, it was also a matter of great debate that the mummy smelled because it was buried and that it should be dried in the sun. However, there is no definitive information about what happened next.
In the late 1990s, Saadettin Teksoy shot a television program to show the final version of the mummy. In the images reflected on the screens at that time, it is noteworthy that Melikgazi’s mummy was once as described by Halil İnalcık, but its blackened skull due to the fire and the absence of its left arm are noteworthy. These images reveal how bad the mummy is in.
According to a newspaper report in 2014, the tomb was so neglected that its interior had turned into a pigeon nest. This news had a great impact on the public, and then the decision was made to start restoration work at the tomb.
Today, it is considered a miracle that Melikgazi’s mummy even survived to these days. Although it is still not clear who this mummy belongs to, many people think that this mummy belongs to Melikgazi. Because according to rumors, Melikgazi lost his left hand in a war. For this reason, beliefs that the mummy’s left hand was stolen are not confirmed.
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