Forests of the Afterlife: Folk Art and Symbolism in Forest Cemeteries of Turkey's Bodrum-Milas Peninsula

by C.M. Kosemen

Turkey's myriad traditions of funerary folk art are as intriguing as they are under-studied. This book documents hundreds of extraordinary, mostly tree-themed works of folk art from the cemeteries of the Bodrum-Milas peninsula in Southwestern Turkey. Alongside this rich visual archive, this book also features an overview of funerary folk art throughout Turkey; the categories and symbolism of the artefacts surveyed; and a brief collection of tree-related folklore from the surrounding areas.

143 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2021

About the author

C. M. Kosemen also writes as Nemo Ramjet.


C.M. Kosemen is an artist and independent researcher born in Ankara, Turkey. He studied at Cornell University, Istanbul’s Sabancı University and holds a Masters’ degree from London’s Goldsmiths College in Documentary Film and Media Studies.

Kosemen’s areas of interest include surreal art, Mediterranean history, palaeontology, evolution, zoology and visual culture.

As an artist, Kosemen is affiliated with the Empire Project Gallery of Istanbul. His art has been displayed in exhibits in Catania, Vienna, Ulcinj, Istanbul, Ankara, London and Tel Aviv.

As a researcher, Kosemen’s book credits include Osman Hasan and the Tombstone Photographs of the Dönmes, from Libra Books of Istanbul. Copies of this book have been purchased by leading universities and research institutes of the world. It has won the 2016 Eduard-Duckesz History Prize.

Kosemen’s other book credits include All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals, and the Cryptozoologion, the Biology, Evolution and Mythology of Hidden Animals from Irregular Books of London.

Kosemen was also an editor for Benetton’s Colors magazine and worked in various advertising agencies.