Hammet und Hasan, Islamic tomb in Mitte, Germany
Hammet and Hasan are two graves on the Neustädter Friedhof in Hanover, each marked by a headstone and a footstone. Hammet's surviving stone carries a German inscription dated 1691; the Ottoman-Turkish stone at the head end is lost. The graves lie in a low side enclosure, roughly aligned toward Mecca.
These graves date from 1691 and belong to two Turkish prisoners of war captured during the siege of Vienna in 1683. They represent the oldest preserved Islamic burials in Germany.
Hammet, captured at Vienna in 1683, served about eight years as a chamber Turk to Electress Sophie of the Palatinate and was buried by Islamic rite, while most Ottoman captives of his time were forcibly baptized. Hasan died around 1691 and was laid beside him. A memorial plaque added in 2000 carries German and Turkish inscriptions, corrected after vandalism in 2006.
The cemetery is freely accessible and the graves are located in a well-maintained area with clear signage. An informational plaque from 2006 with text in German and Turkish helps visitors understand the history.
The German inscription on Hammet's stone records his capture at Vienna in 1683, service to Duchess Sophie for about eight years, and death in 1691. A second, taller headstone with an Ottoman inscription is lost; its text became readable again only after a photo from around 1930 was found in the Historisches Museum Hannover's picture archive in 2001.
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