Khaberni - An isolated grave at the Çatalhöyük archaeological site in Turkey has sparked widespread debate for many years, due to its lone presence far from any other graves, which has intrigued researchers and the local population about the reason behind the isolation of the woman buried there.
Professor Scott Donald Hadow from Denmark managed to solve the mystery of the grave after 92 years, revealing the story of Lady Gulli Aisha, who was buried in 1933 in this solitary grave on the southeast slope of the eastern hill.
This discovery is the first of its kind about the story of Gulli Aisha's grave, as the details of her burial at this archaeological site or the reason for her grave's isolation from the communal graves were not known until through Hadow's study. In his article titled "Unconventional Burial Practices from the Neolithic Age to the Early Twentieth Century in Çatalhöyük", he explained that Gulli Aisha was buried away from the communal graves following accusations and rumors of her committing unethical practices, and earning a bad reputation among the village residents as a "deviant woman".
The researcher added that Gulli Aisha, who lost her husband during the Turkish War of Independence, lived her life socially ostracized, and was not allowed to be buried in the village's communal cemetery, so her family decided to bury her at this elevated archaeological site, and inscribed on her grave marker: "Hu, the late Gulli Aisha, daughter of Hussein, mercy for her soul.. 22/2/1933".
Hadow noted that burying her in this solitary location, despite the isolation of her grave, reflects an attempt by her family to include her in the ancient burial traditions of Çatalhöyük, to find peace for her soul among the region's previous generations of inhabitants.
