Message from Bahçeli on the anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert

MHP Chairman Devlet Bahçeli released a written message for the 955th anniversary of the Battle of Manzikert. Bahçeli stated that the victory won on August 26, 1071, was not merely a military success, but one of the turning points that changed the political and historical fate of Anatolia.

In his message, Bahçeli recalled the struggle Sultan Alparslan waged with his army on the plains of Manzikert, emphasizing that following the victory, the Turkmen presence that spread across Anatolia, the principalities, and the settlement and development activities established a permanent Turkish presence in the region.

Noting that the historical continuity in Anatolia extends from the Seljuks to the Ottomans and the Republic of Türkiye, Bahçeli stated, "Manzikert is our past, Anatolia is our honor, and Türkiye is our future."

Bahçeli's message is as follows:

"The march of the Turkish nation on the stage of history is a witness to the founding of many world empires, the epic power of many conquests, and the memories of many victories that have been carried with pride by generations and shed light on the future.

Every victory has tied a struggle for existence to a result crowned with glory and honor within the conditions of its own time; every conquest has gained a new field for the Turkish will to establish a state, and the heroism of our martyrs and veterans has left a glorious legacy to our children.

Among these, there are such milestones in history that they have transcended the borders of the day they occurred, determined the direction of centuries, and changed the name, fate, and political nature of the geography we live on.

The Battle of Manzikert, dated August 26, 1071, is precisely such a blessed moment of destiny that reshaped the course of history and redirected the path of geographies.

The road to Manzikert was not opened in a single day. The Turkish beys, who carried the flag of the Turks and the standard of Islam, first declared their political power in Khorasan with the 1040 Battle of Dandanaqan; the reconnaissance expeditions of Çağrı Bey extending into Anatolia constituted the pioneering steps of this new horizon; one of the first heavy blows was dealt to the infidels with the 1048 Battle of Kapetron; the process gained speed with Tughril Beg; and it was carried to a further stage with Sultan Alparslan's conquest of Ani in 1064.

With the raids of Afşin Bey and other Turkish commanders extending into the interior of Anatolia, the Byzantine dominance in the East was broken step by step; every land stepped upon by Turkish horsemen became a harbinger of the approaching great conquest and Turkish sovereignty.

When Friday, August 26, 1071, arrived, Sultan Alparslan reviewed the formation of his army, gave his final orders to his beys, performed the Friday prayer, and then, donning his white shroud of martyrdom, set off for the plains of Manzikert.

Before Sultan Alparslan, who went to Manzikert with his shroud, lay victory; in his heart was the universal state ideal of the Turkish nation for which he would give his life; and in his mind was Anatolia, which would be a homeland for the Turkish nation until the end of time.

Where the sovereign risks death, there is no room for the soldier to hesitate, for fear to spread through the ranks, or for those who deny to stand before hearts full of faith.

The Turkish cavalry, narrowing the circle with the Turan tactic on the plains of Manzikert, drove the Byzantines, who carried the legacy of Rome in the East, to the west with the setting sun under the skillful command and leadership of Sultan Alparslan; as the shadow of the cross faded on the horizon of Manzikert, the rule of the crescent rose in the skies of Anatolia.

The Turkmen presence that spread across Anatolia following the victory took root in this geography through the principalities established and the settlement and development moves carried out; in this uninterrupted historical line that makes the Turkish presence in Anatolia eternal—stretching from the Seljuks to Söğüt, from Edirne to Istanbul, and from Istanbul to Ankara—the only thing that changed was the capitals; the will of the Turkish nation to possess Anatolia, to keep its state alive, and to rule its own destiny has not changed.

The rule of the Turkish will, which broke away from Khorasan, found strength in Kapetron, and marched into the heart of Anatolia with a great victory at Manzikert, will not be erased; the call to prayer rising above these lands, the waving red flag with the crescent and star, and the living Turkish state will continue to be the witness of that blessed day across the ages.

I commemorate with mercy, gratitude, and respect Sultan Alparslan, his dear soldiers who risked martyrdom in the same ranks as him, and our esteemed ancestors who opened Anatolia with conquest, rooted it with settlement, made it prosperous with development, kept it alive with justice, and transformed it into a homeland with the motto of 'the state is eternal.' Manzikert is our past, Anatolia is our honor, and Türkiye is our future.

The Republic of Türkiye is our destiny. May the fortune of the Turkish nation always be bright!"

News Source: 12punto