Osmanlı Devleti’nin Kırım Savaşı’nda ölen askerler için İngiltere’ye tahsis ettiği Haydarpaşa İngiliz Mezarlığı merkezi konumu ve görkemli anıtı ile dikkat çekmektedir. Kraliçe Viktorya tarafından gönderilen anıt, Tanzimat’ın ilk anıtları arasında yer almakta olup, günümüze kadar korunabilmiştir. Törenle açılan anıtın Tanzimat dönemine ait diğer anıtlardan farkı yabancı askerler için yerleştirilmesidir. Bir taraftan, geleneksel olarak anıtlara ihtiyatla yaklaşan, diğer taraftan Avrupa ailesine dâhil olarak reformlar gerçekleştiren Osmanlı Devleti’nin, Kırım Savaş Anıtı’nı kamusal alana yerleştirmeyi kabul etmesi önemli görülmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Haydarpaşa İngiliz Mezarlığı’nın kolektif hafızadaki yerini tarihsel ve mekânsal ortaklıklar ile karşıtlıklar etrafında incelemektir. Arşiv ve kaynak tarama yöntemlerine başvurulan makalede öncelikle, askeri mezarlıkların anma ve hafıza pratikleri içindeki rolü sorgulanmaktadır. İngiliz askeri mezarlıklarının kolektif hafıza üretimine katkı sunan bir mekân olarak tasarlanmasında öne çıkan tarihsel ve toplumsal etkenler ele alınmaktadır. Birbiriyle çatışan ve uzlaşmakta zorlanan unsurların karşılaştırmalı bir perspektifle değerlendirilmektedir. Bu çerçevede, Haydarpaşa İngiliz Mezarlığı’nın karma yapısını ve mezarlık anıtını benzerlerinden ayıran yönler vurgulanmaktadır.Kırım Savaşı sırasında Osmanlılar ile aynı cephede savaşan İngiliz askerleri için tahsis edilen ve Commonwealth mülkü olan mezarlığa, I. Dünya Savaşı’nda karşı cephede savaşan askerlerin defnedilmesi önemli karşıtlıklardan birini teşkil etmektedir. Mezarlıkta, Osmanlılara karşı İngiltere cephesinde savaşmış Müslüman askerler de bulunmaktadır. Bu görünümü ile adeta hafızalar savaşına sahne olan mezarlık, cephe, aidiyet ve hafızaların karşıtları ile buluştuğu bir mekâna dönüşmektedir. Bu çalışma aracılığı ile karma mekâna ait “seçilmiş” kahramanlıklar içindeki “gizli” öznelerle karşılaşmak mümkün olabilmektedir.

Haydarpaşa British Cemetery, which was allocated to Great Britain by the Ottoman Empire for the soldiers who died in the Crimean War, stands out with its central location and magnificent monument. One of the first modern monuments, Crimean War Memorial sent by the order of Queen Victoria, has been preserved up until today. Unlike the other monuments of Tanzimat, it was erected for foreign soldiers. It is important that the Ottoman State agreed to place this monument in the public sphere in a period when the Empire headed towards modernization and became part of European family but at the same time was cautious against the erection of monuments having a symbolic aim instead of a practical function. Alongside the soldiers who fought against Russia with the Ottomans during the Crimean War, Haydarpaşa British Cemetery, a Commonwealth property, has also been a final resting place for the soldiers including Muslims who fought for the Great Britain against the Ottomans during the First World War. Given such conditions, the cemetery appears to be a scene for clash of memories and a space symbolizing various identities and belongings of both alliances and opponents in different fronts. In this study, Haydarpaşa British Cemetery’s contribution to collective memory is argued around these historical and spatial peculiarities.The article utilizes archive and source scanning methods and in the first part it aims to examine how collective memories are created and practiced through military cemeteries. The military cemeteries emerge as symbolic spaces that establish social memory. They are designed to tell stories of chosen heroes and are associated with patriotism and sacredness. Commemorations and visits to cemeteries play a key role in keeping the collective memory alive. Indeed, the historical and social conditions that shape the design of military cemeteries also leave traces in the collective memory. Haydarpaşa British Cemetery also appears as a unique place where various traces of collective memory such as myths, symbols and rituals which are the products of different historical and social conditions intersect with each other.The third part analyzes the outstanding aspects of the Crimean War Monument. Different from other memorial projects of Tanzimat, it denotes a foreign power but not the Ottoman government. Besides, columns and sculptures as the components of the monument are alien to the Ottoman world and laden with symbolic meanings rather than a practical function. The Christian cross which was originally present at its inauguration in Crystal Palace was removed in its current place. Also, it is important to note that a special attention was given to local sensitivities by the Ottoman government during its placement and the construction of the cemetery. However, although the cemetery is disguised by its surroundings today, the monument still stands out with its huge obelisk. Finally, it is still possible to detect the traces of “otherness” in the Haydarpaşa cemetery beyond its design reflecting the military order and the sense of common devotion. Further, Christian symbols still remain as an imperial attribute despite their diminishing visibility after First World War. The temporal differences in the spatial design of the cemetery are visible in the shape and placements of the tombstones, as well as the ranks of the deceased soldiers. British military cemeteries’ designs vary under the influence of numerous internal or external social, political and geographical factors. However, there was no stable reconciliation between the myth of imperial devotion and rituals. Haydarpaşa British Cemetery embodies alliances and hostilities of different times along with sacred and profane possessions.