Tombstone Master Mehmet Fazlıoğlu
Mehmet Fazlıoğlu, who has been making tombstones in his 15 square meter workshop in Ağaköy village for 62 years, continues to make tombstones and cemeteries for many people in the region. Fazlıoğlu, who has served many families during this long period, also draws attention with special orders.
Fazlıoğlu, who has 11 children and 23 grandchildren, expertly writes the tombstone orders coming from Bartın and Kastamonu provinces on marbles and delivers them to his customers. The tombstones, decorated with different writing styles and meaningful expressions, reveal his talent in this field.
Knowing the weight and meaning of the job he undertook very well, Fazlıoğlu made his own tombstone and decided to place it in front of his workshop 3 years ago. While he wrote “Hüseyinoğlu Mehmet Fazlıoğlu, Fatiha to your soul, date of birth 1939” on his own tombstone, he left the death date section blank. On the other tombstone, he wrote “I was a rebellious servant, I loved the world and was always received, Alas, my life came and went, I did not appreciate you, I had many friends in the world, They left me in the “grave, My relatives have their eyes on my inheritance, But they do not pay my debt, They pass by my grave and do not even say a Fatiha.”
A Master at Peace with Death
Mehmet Fazlıoğlu, who stated that he has been making tombstones and stones for 62 years, said, “I started writing tombstones a year after I returned from military service in 1961. At that time, we were writing tombstones by hand. I learned to do “This is on my own. I made tombstones with hand tools for 38 years. Now, we are making them with machines. It is not like before, we can work much more comfortably.”
Fazlıoğlu said, “I decided to write my own tombstone 3 years ago. Everyone my age has passed away. We also need to be prepared for death. I made two separate tombstones; one has a poem, the other I wrote in a different font . I told my son, ‘You can put the one you like at the head of my grave.'”
Stating that those who see his own gravestone are very scared and surprised, Fazlıoğlu said, “Those who see me making my gravestone are very surprised and ask me, ‘Aren’t you afraid?” I say, ‘Why should I be afraid, isn’t there death?’ I even suggest that everyone have this gravestone made and put it in the shoe cabinet at the entrance of their house so that they think of death every time they see it. They will say, ‘I could die today,’ because it is very important. to always remember death in order not to sin.”
Tombstones Gaining Meaning with Poems
Stating that they continue to receive orders for tombstones and gravestones, Fazlıoğlu said, “Since I have been doing this job for a long time, I receive many orders from the surrounding provinces, districts and villages. We are currently doing it together with my little son. My son said that he will continue this profession when I die.”
Stating that he wrote poems on most of the tombstones, Fazlıoğlu said, “For example, I write different and meaningful poems on the tombstones for those who died of a heart attack, for those who died of a traffic accident, and for those who were martyred. This is very important to emphasize how valuable each life is.” He concluded his words.
