19.11.2025 14:32
In Konya, the story of Güllü Ayşa, who was buried in the eastern section of the 9,000-year-old Çatalhöyük, has been revealed by Danish bioarchaeologist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Scott Donald Haddow in his article. Haddow stated in his article, "Güllü Ayşa was buried on the southeastern slope of the eastern mound of Çatalhöyük because she was accused of adultery and was referred to as a 'fallen woman' by the public."
In the Konya Plain, at Çatalhöyük, which has a history of 9,000 years of human civilization transitioning to urban life and agriculture, many graves of various civilizations have been found.
The story of Güllü Ayşa, who was buried in the eastern mound of Çatalhöyük with a gravestone erected, was revealed by Danish bioarchaeologist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Scott Donald Haddow in his article titled 'Non-Normative Funeral Practices from the Neolithic Period to the Early Twentieth Century in Çatalhöyük,' under the name 'The Lonely Grave of Güllü Ayşa.'
"GÜLLÜ AYŞA RESTS IN PEACE AMONG ANCIENT PEOPLE'S GRAVES" According to local sources, the article describes how Güllü Ayşa, who became a widow after her husband Mehmet was martyred in the War of Independence, was accused of adultery. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Scott Donald Haddow stated:
"The local people stopped using the mound in Çatalhöyük as a burial site. Perhaps it was no longer deemed appropriate for Muslims to be buried among the ancient infidels. A walled cemetery in Küçükköy village now serves as the final resting place for the townspeople, except for Güllü Ayşa. The story told by local staff working in the area is sad. Ayşa, accused of adultery, became known among the villagers as a 'fallen woman.' She was considered an outcast for the rest of her life. When she died, the townspeople did not allow her to be buried properly in the village cemetery. Instead, her family buried her in the high mound that rises above the village. They must have faintly remembered the long history of burials that once took place there. Even if she could not be buried with her family in the town, at least she would join the much older community of the dead in Çatalhöyük. Today, she rests in peace among the graves of ancient people. The inscription on her gravestone reads: 'Hu, may the soul of the deceased Güllü Ayşa, daughter of Hüseyin, receive Fatiha 22/2/1933.'