We will continue to move forward with determination towards the goal of a Terror-Free Türkiye
“We will continue to move forward with determination towards the goal of a Terror-Free Türkiye”
President Erdoğan, in his speech at the event held in Ahlat as part of the 954th anniversary celebrations of the Malazgirt Victory, said: “We will continue to move forward with determination towards the goal of a Terror-Free Türkiye, which disturbs and unsettles our adversaries, with confidence in ourselves, fully aware of what we are doing and what we intend to achieve. Without ever neglecting the trust entrusted to us by our martyrs and veterans, we will build together a bright Türkiye where peace, tranquility, and affection are at the very center.”
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended the event organized in the Ahlat district of Bitlis within the scope of the 954th anniversary celebrations of the Malazgirt Victory and delivered a speech.
In his address, President Erdoğan expressed that on the anniversary of the Malazgirt Victory, one of the most glorious pages of history, he once again experienced the honor, pride, and happiness of being in Ahlat, and stated: “Through you, from Ahlat, the gateway to Anatolia, this ancient land referred to as the dome of Islam, I send my greetings and love to each of my citizens across our country. After a year’s interval, endless praise and thanks be to my Lord who has once again brought us together in this spiritual atmosphere, in this serenity of spirit that surrounds our hearts with the memory of the martyrs. I extend my gratitude and congratulations to every member of our Archers Foundation who contributed to the organization of this meaningful program. Likewise, I express my appreciation to all our institutions and organizations, municipalities, associations, and foundations that supported the program. I sincerely thank my brothers and sisters from Ahlat and my fellow citizens from Bitlis who have once again embraced us with warmth.”
President Erdoğan pointed out that today they were on fertile lands where scholars, ascetics, and saints had flourished and taken root, and continued with the following remarks: “Today we are in Ahlat, the land of the brave, the home of veterans, the land of martyrs. Today we are in the ancestral city where Ertuğrul Gazi was born. I remember with mercy all our ancestors, all our veterans, and martyrs who, with their swords, their pens, and their works, made Ahlat a homeland, first as the base of Malazgirt, and later as the stronghold of Anatolia’s conquest. May my Lord bless their souls and grant them paradise. I would like to share this truth; the graves, mausoleums, monuments, and all other works here are not merely cultural assets but the strongest witnesses of our thousand-year existence on these lands. Each of these works is the embodied form of our national and spiritual virtues.”
“FOR THE TURKISH NATION, AHLAT IS THE KEY TO KIZILELMA”
Emphasizing that in Ahlat knowledge meets with foresight, and art and craftsmanship are adorned with decency and morality, President Erdoğan said: “The clearest signs of this truth are the stone tombs in the Seljuk Cemetery. A unique feature of these structures, created with a style far ahead of their time and in a language full of wisdom, is this: pay attention, the verses of the Holy Qur’an, our guide to life, are inscribed solely on the headstones. The sarcophagi, however, are adorned with the Hadiths of our Prophet, who was sent as a mercy to all the worlds. This is undoubtedly an expression of a noble character. It is the projection of a disciplined consciousness and personality. From Iyaz bin Ghanm, the conqueror of al-Jazira who illuminated this blessed land with the light of Islam, to Sultan Alparslan—whose descendants we are always proud to be—and from the free-spirited raider beys who practiced war as if it were an art to the heroic soldiers of the Seljuk armies whose hearts were as vast as Anatolia, I once again pray to Almighty Allah for mercy upon all our martyrs and veterans who, with love, faith, belief, and with the consciousness of unity, brotherhood, and martyrdom, laid the foundation of these lands and made Anatolia our eternal homeland. I sincerely thank you for your enthusiasm, for your loyalty, and for this magnificent picture of brotherhood I see before me.”
Quoting the verses:
“I am the present, I am the future, I am the past.
I am Erzen Hatun, I am Dede Maksut, I am Abdurrahman Gazi.
I sent Alparslan to Malazgirt.
I rocked the cradle of Ertuğrul and Osman Bey.
The sun rises differently in me.
My stars shine brighter.
My skies are bluer, my moonlight is purer.
Have you still not recognized me?
I am Ahlat.”
President Erdoğan said that these verses clearly express the place Ahlat holds in their history, culture, and civilization.
President Erdoğan continued: “Ahlat is the symbol of our eternal and everlasting presence on these lands. For the Turkish nation, Ahlat is the key to Kızılelma. Ahlat is one of the places that tells us who we are, where we came from, and where we are heading. Ahlat, where our ancestors rested, breathed, and read the times correctly, is a bridge of faith, culture, and civilization stretching from a thousand years ago to today. Every square meter is watered with the blood of our martyrs; they are flags pointing to our martyrs, lying like mountain ranges in the bosom of this beloved homeland. On this occasion, I once again commemorate with mercy and gratitude all our martyrs and veterans who paid the price with their lives and blood for this homeland, for this cherished crescent, for the independence and future of this noble nation—from the Victory of Malazgirt to the Battle of Chaldiran, from the War of Independence to the epic of July 15. We will, God willing, continue until our last breath to preserve and defend this homeland entrusted to us by our martyrs, our principle of an everlasting state, and all the values for which our martyrs sacrificed their lives.”
“WE WILL TOGETHER REPEL ALL ATTACKS TARGETING OUR UNITY AND SOLIDARITY”
In his speech, President Erdoğan stated that they would continue to preserve their unity, which gives hope to the oppressed, confidence to friends, and fear to enemies, in a very strong way.
Saying, “History is full of countless examples of the successes we have achieved both at home and abroad when Turks, Kurds, and Arabs stood together, loved one another for the sake of Allah, and marched toward common goals,” President Erdoğan continued as follows:
“This is the very spirit in the army of Saladin, the beloved Sultan of the East, of our ancestor Sultan Alparslan, and of Yavuz Sultan Selim. The knot at Malazgirt was untied with this spirit. The gates of Jerusalem were opened with this spirit, Istanbul was conquered with this spirit. It was this very spirit that made Çanakkale impassable. The national struggle, where we forced seven great powers to their knees despite all impossibilities, was also carried to victory with this spirit. We will tighten our ranks, strengthen our brotherhood, and renew our pledge. Together, shoulder to shoulder, we will repel all attacks targeting our unity and solidarity. With Allah’s permission and with the support of our nation, we will bequeath a great and strong Türkiye to future generations. This century we are in, God willing, will take its place in history as the Century of Türkiye. On this path we set out for a much more influential, respected, and prosperous Türkiye, we will not fall into anyone’s traps or schemes. We will continue to move forward with determination, with confidence in ourselves, fully aware of what we are doing and what we intend to achieve, towards the goal of a Terror-Free Türkiye, which disturbs and unsettles our adversaries. Without neglecting the trust of our martyrs and veterans, we will together build a bright Türkiye where peace, tranquility, and affection are at the very center.”
Stating that they had endured many sufferings, paid very heavy prices, and faced numerous attacks from both inside and outside, yet managed to overcome them all, President Erdoğan said:
“Now we have reached the final stretch. With a little more patience, a little more effort, and of course with caution, God willing, we will also pass through this stretch and attain our intended destination with ease. With these thoughts, I once again congratulate the 954th anniversary of our Malazgirt Victory. May my Lord make our unity, our brotherhood, and our solidarity everlasting. I sincerely thank, first and foremost, our Archers Foundation, as well as all our institutions, municipalities, and non-governmental organizations who contributed to the organization of this valuable program. On this occasion, I would also like to particularly express my pleasure regarding the establishment of the ‘Conquest and Root: Ahlat/Malazgirt Studies Institute’ within the headquarters of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) under the directives of its Chairman, Mr. Devlet Bahçeli, and I wholeheartedly wish this important institute to be auspicious and beneficial. I extend my gratitude in advance to Ahlat, Bitlis, Malazgirt, and Muş for their sincere hospitality.”
President Erdoğan visited the Ahlat Seljuk Cemetery
As part of the 954th anniversary events of the Malazgirt Victory, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was in the Ahlat district of Bitlis, visited the Ahlat Seljuk Cemetery, which is included in UNESCO’s Tentative List of World Heritage Sites and is considered the largest Turkish-Islamic cemetery in the world.
President Erdoğan was accompanied by Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli, BBP Chairman Mustafa Destici, HÜDA PAR Chairman Zekeriya Yapıcıoğlu, DSP Chairman Önder Aksakal, President of Religious Affairs Prof. Dr. Ali Erbaş, members of the Presidential Cabinet, and the commanders of the armed forces.