Şimşek reported the following from the meeting:
"When Ekrem Reşad Bey, the father of the Koçu family,
passed away in 1933, the surname law had not yet been enacted. Therefore,
records regarding him do not appear in surname searches. Indeed, there are no
records of Koçu's mother and sisters in the directorate's printed archives. We
searched for the surname Koçu in the archives. Koçu, Koçü, Koçi… Just in case
it was a mistake by the official, perhaps he was registered in another
cemetery, we searched throughout Istanbul, but we still couldn't find any Koçu.
Finally, the directorate official said the following:
"'If a headstone is not erected for graves where it was
not made after burial, or if the headstone has disappeared over time, a new
burial can be made on top of the existing grave if it is not done within five
years.'"
Şimşek explained his research on the fate of the famous
historian's grave:
"We inevitably consider the possibilities: Did his
adopted son Mehmed not have a headstone made for Reşad Ekrem's grave after his
death, and were the headstones of the other graves old and became
unrecognizable over time? Or was a road construction project carried out around
the Sahrayıcedit cemetery, similar to the one in the Eyüp cemetery that caused
the disappearance of Ziya Osman Saba's grave, and did the Koçu family cemetery
disappear along with Reşad Ekrem's? Although we tried to find a clue in the maps
in the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Atatürk Library archives, we were
unsuccessful.
Another possibility is that names like Erol Üyepazarcı - may
their health be good - who are still alive, were around Koçu and collaborated
with Koçu in the publication of the Istanbul Encyclopedia..." Is it
possible that despite having worked with him, being his students, and being
proud of him throughout their lives, and despite attending Koçu's funeral, they
did not visit his grave after his death? Therefore, either the family
cemetery/Reşad Ekrem Koçu's grave lacked a tombstone, and his adopted son Mehmed,
after the funeral, was too busy selling off the archives to have one made, and
new burials took place in the same cemetery a few years later. Or, a tombstone
was made for Reşad Ekrem, but because no one visited it, it fell into disrepair
and decay over time, the tombstone was stolen, broken, and shattered, and new
bodies were buried on top of the grave.
We don't know when or how Reşad Ekrem's grave disappeared.
Interestingly, Mr. Erol also says nothing about Koçu's lost grave. I couldn't
find any mention of it in Mr. Erol's past writings or interviews. Reşad Ekrem,
who spent his life meticulously documenting almost everything about Istanbul –
its mosques, neighborhoods, mansions, waterfront houses, baths, coffee houses,
vagrants, writers, celebrities, and beauties – so that they wouldn't be lost
forever, unfortunately has a lost grave that cannot be found. It's strange that
while his students and friends talk about almost everything related to him,
they don't mention his grave.
Turkish Source: Defnedildiği
yerde iz yok: Ünlü tarihçi Reşat Ekrem Koçu'nun mezarı kayıp mı?
