Old Christian Cemetery, Abbottabad
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| Old Christian Cemetery, Abbottabad | |
|---|---|
گورا قبرستان | |
 One of the earliest marked graves (1853) | |
 Interactive map of Old Christian Cemetery, Abbottabad | |
| Details | |
| Established | 1853 |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 34°09′13″N 73°12′28″E / 34.1536°N 73.2079°E |
| Type | Anglican cemetery |
| Owned by | St Luke’s Church, Diocese of Peshawar |
| No. of graves | ≈ 300 burials recorded (1853–1947), 70–80 surviving headstones |
The Old Christian Cemetery, locally referred to as the Gora Qabristan (Urdu: گورا قبرستان, lit. 'white cemetery'), is a cemetery located in Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. It was established in 1853 during East India Company rule and stayed in regular use following the British Crown's assumption of direct rule over India.[1]
The cemetery was established in 1853[2] when the modern city of Abbottabad was founded by James Abbott, a British military officer and administrator. It remained the main Christian cemetery in the town and for the nearby Galyat hill tracts,[3] and was later attached to St. Luke's Church when it was completed in 1864.[4] The cemetery contains many interesting old graves and memorials.[5] Most of these have Frontier military campaigns' connections and significance[6] for military historians, including the graves or tombs of Major Hugh Rees James,[7] Major Leigh Richmond Battye[8] and Colonel A W Crookshank, as well as others.[9] The Rev. Henry Fisher Corbyn, of the Bengal Ecclesiastical Establishment, who spent long years here as Vicar, and who had previously served in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and established a 'charitable home' there at Ross Island (Andaman)[10] is also buried here. Also buried here is Lady Julia Helen Palmer (née Aylmer; died 1896) first wife of General Sir Arthur Power Palmer, a former Commander-in-Chief, India.[11]
