With so many Ramazanoglu (Ramazanzade) fleeying away since the Armenian Gang Wars, then followed by WW1 tragedies, when the French conquered Adana and made the Family Mansion their post... and after capturing and executing what the French could from the Ramazanoglu family, there was very few Ramazanoglus left in Adana.
Then in 1936, the law disallowed the use of Ramazanzade for a last name, since the suffix "Zade" denotes nobility. Then when in 1938 Ataturk changed the law again to allow anyone to have whatever last name they wished (still no Zade allowed), then anyone could be a Ramazanoglu if they wanted to.
The above created a mess, perhaps a planned mess. Then around 1939, then president Ismat Eminonu ordered his soldiers to destroy family lineage records and the Ramazanoglu Cemetery which was a living record of lineage on the engraved tomb stones, it was a part of destroying anything related to the Ottomans.
The tomb stones where broken and thrown in the river, then a park was erected above the bones of our ancestors and only one tomb was left, it was the tomb of Zia Pasha (why? was he in on it?)
In my research for writing my book about the family, I met the Imam of the Ulu Cami who was so pleased to meet a pious Ramazanoglu. He made sure to tell me about the Cemetery and how it was against Islam to have it become a park and for people to walk atop the remains of our ancestors.
Also, I ran into a journalist whose father was a writer during this era and kept an old picture of the cemetery before it was destroyed.
I tried during the 2013 Turkish-based families reunion to tell remaining family members about the tragedy of this park and to demand closing it off in memory of the elders buried below and to help them rest in peace. But my voices fell on deaf ears, as according to Professor Yilmaz Kurt most of the family members that came to the reunion were really descendants of HassanPashaZade (whose wife was a Ramazanoglu descendant). So it seems that none of the tombs destroyed were directly related to those who were present at the 2013 limited reunion.
Someone wanted to deliberately get rid of most of the descendants of Ramazanoglu and make it very tough to regain the connection. A family tree I found at the Ottoman Archives dated about 130 years ago shows that the current 220 members listed as beneficiary of the huge Ramazanoglu foundation represent only 1/8th of the members on the extended family tree, that many thought was burnt and done with.
It is a shame that we as Muslims can sit and do nothing while people everyday walk over the remains of our Great...Grand..Fathers, Mothers, and Uncles... we need to help them rest in peace!
I need as many of you to support me to demand from the Turkish Government, Vali of Adana, and the Municipality to close this Park and return it to become a fenced cemetery - albite without the tomb stones.
Samer Osman Ramazanoglu.
Then in 1936, the law disallowed the use of Ramazanzade for a last name, since the suffix "Zade" denotes nobility. Then when in 1938 Ataturk changed the law again to allow anyone to have whatever last name they wished (still no Zade allowed), then anyone could be a Ramazanoglu if they wanted to.
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| Old picture of the Ramazanoglu Cemetery before it was destroyed and made into a Zia Pasha Park, managed to get a copy that someone kept - next to the Ulu Cami in Adana, Turkey. |
The above created a mess, perhaps a planned mess. Then around 1939, then president Ismat Eminonu ordered his soldiers to destroy family lineage records and the Ramazanoglu Cemetery which was a living record of lineage on the engraved tomb stones, it was a part of destroying anything related to the Ottomans.
The tomb stones where broken and thrown in the river, then a park was erected above the bones of our ancestors and only one tomb was left, it was the tomb of Zia Pasha (why? was he in on it?)
In my research for writing my book about the family, I met the Imam of the Ulu Cami who was so pleased to meet a pious Ramazanoglu. He made sure to tell me about the Cemetery and how it was against Islam to have it become a park and for people to walk atop the remains of our ancestors.
Also, I ran into a journalist whose father was a writer during this era and kept an old picture of the cemetery before it was destroyed.
I tried during the 2013 Turkish-based families reunion to tell remaining family members about the tragedy of this park and to demand closing it off in memory of the elders buried below and to help them rest in peace. But my voices fell on deaf ears, as according to Professor Yilmaz Kurt most of the family members that came to the reunion were really descendants of HassanPashaZade (whose wife was a Ramazanoglu descendant). So it seems that none of the tombs destroyed were directly related to those who were present at the 2013 limited reunion.
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| Zia Pasha Park, in the middle of the picture above, where people walk over the bones of our Ramazanoglu Ancestors and no one is doing anything to stop it. |
Someone wanted to deliberately get rid of most of the descendants of Ramazanoglu and make it very tough to regain the connection. A family tree I found at the Ottoman Archives dated about 130 years ago shows that the current 220 members listed as beneficiary of the huge Ramazanoglu foundation represent only 1/8th of the members on the extended family tree, that many thought was burnt and done with.
It is a shame that we as Muslims can sit and do nothing while people everyday walk over the remains of our Great...Grand..Fathers, Mothers, and Uncles... we need to help them rest in peace!
I need as many of you to support me to demand from the Turkish Government, Vali of Adana, and the Municipality to close this Park and return it to become a fenced cemetery - albite without the tomb stones.
Samer Osman Ramazanoglu.
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