Calendars and graves
In the image above, there is a gravestone with 2 names written on them. Below each of the names are dates of their birth and death. Under the first name is written ‘D.1293 - Ö.19.12.1966’; under the second name, it’s written ‘D.1314 - Ö.20.6.1980’. D is for doğum (birth) and Ö is for ölüm (death). The birth dates are in the Hijri calendar (lunar) and the death dates are in the Gregorian calendar (solar). 1293 in the lunar calendar translates to 1876 and 1877 while 1314 translates to 1896 and 1897. While a lunar year may correspond to only one solar year, more often than not, some parts of it correspond to a certain solar year and some parts to the next solar year since a lunar year spans 354 or 355 days while a solar year spans 365 days.
Turkey adopts the Gregorian calendar in 19261. Since these people were born before this change and it seems their exact birth dates are not known, but only their birth years, it’s not possible to know their exact birth years in the Gregorian calendar, let alone their birth dates. Since the change had already occurred by the time they passed away, their death dates are recorded in the Gregorian calendar.
At the end is written ‘Ruhlarına Fatiha’ (a request of praying for their souls).