Description
The Tatar cemetery in the town of Salakas was established in the second half of the 19th century and is the only one of its kind in Aukštaitija. According to the recollections of contemporaries, at the beginning of the 20th century, more than ten Tatar families lived in Salakas; they were excellent tailors and furriers (mostly on Dūkšto Street). Even today, wooden houses characteristic of the Tatars remain here, with three windows facing the street. The most common surnames among the Tatar families who lived here were Asanovičiai, Aleksandrovičiai, and Gimbickiai. Over the years, the older generation of Tatars in Salakas passed away, while the younger generation started families and moved to other towns. Today, there are no longer any people of Tatar ethnicity in Salakas. To the south of the town of Salakas lies the old cemetery, and next to it is the Salakas Tatar cemetery. The cemetery covers an area of just over one hectare and is entirely surrounded by a stone fence. On the southern side, the Catholic cemetery adjoins the Tatar (Muslim) cemetery, and they share a common fence separating them. This is a testament to how harmoniously people of different faiths lived together here. The headstones at the Salakas Tatar Cemetery bear inscriptions in Polish, Russian, Lithuanian, and Arabic. The inscriptions provide information about the age, family status, and occupations of the Tatars buried here. The first and last names of the deceased are engraved next to this information, and several monuments feature verses from the Quran. The Salakas Tatar Cemetery contains a couple of monuments with the Arabic inscription: “La ilaha illallahu Muhammadu rasulullah” (“There is no god but God, and Muhammad is His Messenger”). This statement reflects the foundation of the Tatar faith. The oldest dated monument in the cemetery dates back to 1895, while the most recent one is from 2019.
