Eastern Türkiye will host a series of events over the weekend and on Monday to mark the anniversary of a centuries-old military victory that cemented Turkish rule in the country.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli and other prominent figures are expected to attend celebrations in two sites central to the celebrations. Ceremonies in the Ahlat and Malazgirt districts will mark the 953th anniversary of the Seljuk victory over Byzantine forces.
Erdoğan will be chairing the cabinet meeting at the presidential complex in Ahlat on Sunday, the Presidential Communications Directorate said.
The cabinet meeting is expected to focus on efforts against wildfires, as well as the latest situation regarding Gaza cease-fire talks. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who recently spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, is expected to make a presentation to the cabinet members in this regard. The meeting will also discuss the latest developments in the economy and Türkiye's counterterrorism operations.
Preparations were underway this week for spectacular ceremonies, including giant tents resembling those set up for Seljuk sultans before battles and several yurts representing Turkic tribes. A 150,000-square-meter area was allocated for the events promoting Turkish culture. Handcraft exhibitions and events involving traditional Turkish sports, such as horseback archery, are included, as well as concerts and aerial stunts, which will promote the events, along with the Turkish army’s Solo Türk team.
The first event will be held in Ahlat of the present-day Turkish province of Bitlis on Aug. 25, where the Seljuk army set out from, and a second one will be held in Malazgirt, where the Battle of Malazgirt or Manzikert was fought. During his visit, Erdoğan will also chair a Cabinet meeting in Ahlat, media outlets reported on Wednesday.
On Aug. 26, 1071, Byzantine Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes' army took on the Seljuk army of mostly mounted archers led by Sultan Alparslan, suffering a massive defeat. Romanos was taken captive before being released by Alparslan. According to the agreement between the two leaders, a few border posts were handed over to the Seljuks. The deal allowed Sultan Alparslan to turn his full attention to the Fatimids ruling over Egypt. However, the emperor was soon toppled, tortured and killed by rivals before the empire was consumed by a destructive civil war. The agreement between the two leaders was not ratified by the new emperor, who rejected its terms. The civil war allowed nomadic Turkmen tribes following in the footsteps of the Seljuk army to flood in and take over most of Anatolia, apart from a few outposts on the coast. Alparslan did not live long after the battle, dying at the hands of an assassin a year later.
The conquest of Anatolia also directly resulted in the Orthodox Christian Byzantine Empire seeking help from the Catholic Vatican. Pope Urban II used Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos's request for military aid to declare, at the Council of Clermont in 1095, a general mobilization of Western Christendom against the Turks who had occupied Anatolia and much of the Middle East. The resulting mass invasion is called the Crusades.
The Battle of Manzikert is seen by the Turks as the beginning of the transformation of Anatolia as the land of the Turks.
The end of August is observed as Victory Week, which marks two key historical victories by Turkic forces: The Battle of Manzikert and the Great Offensive of Aug. 26, 1922, the biggest military operation of the Turkish War of Independence that saw the invading Greek army soundly defeated. The 96th Victory Day on Aug. 30 commemorates Türkiye's victory in the Battle of Dumlupınar, in the Aegean province of Kütahya, as part of the Great Offensive.