[5][6] The Pangaltı cemetery was founded in 1560 after an epidemic caused the Armenian community of Constantinople to petition Sultan Suleyman.

[4] The Pangaltı cemetery was demolished in the 1930s,[6] and in 1939 its marble tombstones were sold[9][1] and used to build the Gezi Park's fountains and stairs.

[10][11][12][13][2][14] Other parts of the cemetery were used to construct Eminönü square which was, along with Gezi Park, designed by city planner Henri Prost.

[15][16][11][2][13][12][14] In 2013, during excavation work for the reconstruction of Taksim square, 16 tombstones from the Armenian cemetery were discovered.

[19] The commission to investigate land ownership found the Patriarch's claims groundless, so title remained with the Istanbul municipality and the third party owners.