Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan invoked Jerusalem and Constantinople at a ceremony in Ahlat, Bitlis province, mar...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan invoked Jerusalem and Constantinople at a ceremony in Ahlat, Bitlis province, marking the 955th anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert this week. Speaking alongside Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahceli, Erdogan declared that "the road to Manzikert was opened from Ahlat," and that Jerusalem and Constantinople "were conquered with the faith that took root in Ahlat." He framed the ancient town as the symbolic birthplace of Turkish and Islamic presence across Anatolia. Erdogan called Ahlat a "land of martyrs and warriors of faith," describing it as the seed of the national spirit that shaped Anatolia. He also said the gathering "inspires trust in friends and fear in enemies," a phrase directed at both domestic supporters and unnamed foreign adversaries. He drew particular attention to Ahlat's historic cemetery, which holds roughly 10,000 tombstones engraved with Quranic verses. Erdogan called them "title deeds of our nation," arguing they serve as proof of a thousand years of Turkish presence in the region. The Battle of Manzikert in 1071, fought 955 years ago, is widely considered the event that opened Anatolia to Turkish settlement, eventually paving the way for the Byzantine Empire's collapse and the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. By linking Ahlat directly to both Jerusalem and Constantinople, Erdogan framed the speech in explicitly religious and expansionist historical terms. He also announced the Nemrut caldera, near Ahlat, had been designated a national park, adding a domestic policy note to what was otherwise a heavily symbolic political address. #Erdogan #Turkey #Manzikert