As temperatures plunge to minus 25 degrees Celsius (13 degrees Fahrenheit) and the ground freezes solid, the Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality has proactively prepared 500 graves ahead of the severe winter season.
Located in eastern Türkiye, Erzurum experiences some of the coldest temperatures in the country, with winter conditions that pose significant challenges for cemetery operations. To address this, the municipality’s Cemetery Branch Directorate completed its winter preparations by digging graves before the soil froze, ensuring readiness for burial needs during the harsh months.
Using heavy machinery, workers excavated the graves, which were then carefully refined by manual laborers using shovels and picks. According to Köksal Çalışkan, a worker at the Asri Cemetery, “The soil freezes due to harsh winter conditions. Even machinery struggles to dig in frozen ground during winter. That is why we prepare the graves before winter. Each year, we dig and prepare 500 to 600 graves. For this season, we completed 500.”
Erzurum Mayor Mehmet Sekmen emphasized the urgency of these preparations, stating, “During January, February, and March, the frozen soil becomes as hard as stone. At the cemetery near Palandöken Mountains, nearly one meter of snow falls in winter. We can only dig graves with compressors then. To avoid these difficulties, we ensure graves are ready in autumn.”
