Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan delivered a powerful speech at the 953rd anniversary commemoration of the Victory of Manzikert, held at Malazgirt National Park.

During his address, President Erdoğan underscored the significance of the Manzikert Victory, not only as a military triumph but as a pivotal moment that paved the way for the establishment of Turkish civilization in Anatolia.

“In these lands where the gates of Anatolia were opened completely, never to be closed again, we are elated to reach the 953rd anniversary of the Victory of Manzikert. Today, as 85 million people, we celebrate the anniversary of the glorious victory with pride, gratitude, and excitement that remains undiminished for 953 years,” he stated.

Erdoğan paid tribute to Sultan Alp Arslan and his soldiers, who secured the decisive victory against an enemy four times their size on August 26, 1071. He remarked that the victory led to the establishment of the Anatolian Seljuk State in Iznik just four years later, cementing Anatolia as the Turkish homeland for nearly a millennium.

“Manzikert is not only a victory but also the beginning of a movement of development and revival that gave birth to a homeland and civilization,” Erdoğan emphasized, linking the victory to subsequent historical milestones, including the conquest of Istanbul and Al-Quds.

In a message of unity, President Erdoğan declared, “We have not and will not allow those, who try to divide us over our differences, and the circles of discord, who try to sow seeds of friction among us. May our Lord make our affection and brotherhood permanent!” He concluded by commemorating the ancestors who made Anatolia the eternal homeland of the Turkish people. (ILKHA)