Skip to main content

Nameless graves leave grim reminders of refugee plight on Turkey's coasts

Nameless refugee graves on the Turkish and Greek coasts remain as grim reminders of the deadly refugee flow across the Aegean Sea, which has been largely stemmed since the Turkey-EU deal in March.
Graves of unidentified refugees and migrants who drowned at sea during an attempt to cross a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast are seen at a cemetery near the village Kato Tritos on the Greek island of Lesbos, February 4, 2016. Picture taken February 4, 2016. REUTERS/Giorgos Moutafis - RTX26UW1
Read in 

IZMIR, Turkey — The Turkish coastal city of Izmir and the nearby Greek island of Lesbos have become the final resting places of refugees whose desperate journeys to Europe ended in tragedy in the Aegean Sea. The plot of land where Lesbos buried refugees ran out of space earlier this year, and a second plot of land was opened. In Izmir, wooden signs inscribed with numbers mark the graves in a potter's field converted into a refugee cemetery.

Izmir has been one of the main departure points for refugees seeking to cross from Turkey to Greece. Syrian families sleeping in parks and traffic islands had become a common sight across the city in the crisis days that led up to the Turkey-EU agreement to stem the flow in March. A “refugee industry” flourished in the city, including underground workshops manufacturing dinghies — often unseaworthy — and fake life jackets filled with nonbuoyant material. Even shops on main streets sold life jackets and other supplies the refugees needed for their journeys, as Syrian child beggars became a fixture in the streets and better-off Syrians sent rental prices soaring.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.