20.10.2026 11:02
In Erzurum, where temperatures drop to minus 35 degrees in the winter months and the ground freezes, municipal teams have taken action to ensure burial processes are not disrupted and have begun excavation work for 500 winter grave plots in the Asri and Abdurrahman Gazi cemeteries.
In Erzurum, where air temperatures reach minus 35 degrees during the winter months, hundreds of grave sites have been prepared so that burial procedures are not disrupted due to the ground freezing. Teams from the Cemetery Branch Directorate of Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality prepared hundreds of grave sites before the cold intensified, and a total of 500 additional new graves are planned to be dug for use throughout the winter.
INTENSIFIED WORK BEFORE FREEZING COLD
In Erzurum, one of the coldest cities in the Eastern Anatolia Region, air temperatures dropping to 25-30 degrees below zero during the winter months, and sometimes to even lower levels, cause the ground to harden. For this reason, before the winter months when grave digging becomes difficult, teams intensify their preparatory work in autumn. In the work carried out at Asri Cemetery and Abdurrahman Gazi Cemetery, work machines as well as picks, shovels, and compressors are used. Thanks to the graves dug before winter arrives, the aim is to ensure that burial procedures are not interrupted in cold and snowy weather.
"WE HAVE DIFFICULTY IN WINTER DUE TO SNOW; WE ARE TARGETING 500 GRAVES"
Stating that they have prepared 200 graves so far for winter preparation, municipality staff member Serhat Çinici said, "We will dig a total of 500. Due to Erzurum's weather conditions and snow, we have difficulty preparing graves in winter. However, when we prepare the graves now, we are preparing for winter. The graves are 2 meters 10 centimeters long and 1.5 meters wide."
"THIS IS WHERE WE ARE GOING; THERE IS NO ESCAPING IT"
Abdulbasit Yayla, who mentioned that Erzurum is a winter land and experiences freezing cold, said the following: "It reaches minus 25, 30, 35, even 40 degrees. We need to prepare for winter because it gets freezing here. There are times when it passes like the zemheri. We are necessarily starting preparations now. Right now we have prepared nearly 200 graves, and more will follow. We prepare in the same way every year. Of course, this is where we are going. There is no escaping it. Erzurum is already one of the coldest places. Right now we are preparing for winter. This is where we will go. We have prepared 200 now. If God permits, our preparations will continue. We need to prepare at least close to 500 graves. Here there are graves for two people, three people, four people, and one person. We prepare them all like this. This is a winter land. There is snow, blizzards, and storms. We are preparing now so that we do not suffer problems later. We have now started the work. Of course, our real home is here, our real place is here. May God make things good for us. We work for all the property and possessions here."
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