Shedding light on history: 3 graves discovered during restoration work in Siirt
During restoration work at the Sheikh Ali Segirka Tomb in Siirt, three graves were discovered in a location previously thought to contain only one. The centuries-old tomb, known as Sheikh Ali Segirka, located in the village of Aktaş, has been the site of various annual events, sacrifices, and offerings.
İHA
On June 3, 2024, teams carrying out restoration work on the tomb, which was converted into a shrine in 2017, discovered three graves lying side-by-side underneath it and reported the situation to the Governor's Office, the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, and the gendarmerie.
A security point was established at the tomb, and gendarmerie forces were deployed to the site.
'WE BEGAN RESTORATION IN 2017'
Stating that the tomb dates back a long time, Aktaş village headman Mehmet Can Kezer said, "This tomb, Sheikh Ali Segirka, or Sheikh Ali as we call it in Turkish. As far as we know, this tomb has been here for 8-10 generations, from our fathers and grandfathers. In May, events were held here by the villagers and the public.
Our children, our women, our villagers, and people from neighboring villages would come here to visit this person. We began the restoration of this tomb in 2017. This construction was carried out by philanthropists. There was a pile of stones over the tomb here. When we removed these stones, we saw that three graves appeared. We only knew of one grave. Three graves emerged. When the graves were discovered, we notified our Governor, the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, and the Siirt gendarmerie."
Stating that the site has been under the control of the gendarmerie for a few days, Kezer added, "A watch is kept here every hour. We notified the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism. An archaeologist from the Batman Museum will come to examine this place. We don't know what is here now. But according to estimates, they are great figures, great scholars. They could be three martyrs. They could be three companions of the Prophet. Until now, we have been coming to this shrine and praying, calling it Sheikh Ali Segirka. This is all we know. We have notified all the authorities."