The Turkish government is considering relocating a historic Ottoman tomb that was moved during a military operation in Syria in 2015 due to security risks posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) if suitable conditions develop in the region, the state-run TRT Haber news website reported.
In February 2015 Ankara launched the military operation to relocate the remains of Suleiman Shah, the grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, to a territory controlled by Turkey inside Syria, just north of the Syrian village of Ashme. The operation was carried out in coordination with Kurdish forces in the area. Approximately 40 soldiers who had been guarding the tomb were also brought safely home.
The historic shrine had been surrounded by ISIL, which had previously destroyed several other tombs and mosques in Syria and Iraq since March 2014. Suleiman Shah’s original location was in the village of Karakozak in Manbij, situated in the northeast of the Aleppo Governorate in northern Syria.
Responding to questions about whether the Suleiman Shah tomb would be moved to its former location after Karakozak was cleared of Kurdish militant groups, regarded as “terrorist” by Turkey, ministry sources said on Thursday that the Syrian National Army’s advance in the region and operations to clear out the “terrorism” are still ongoing.
“We are following the developments closely. We’ll make a determination when conditions are suitable for relocation.”
Earlier this week, Turkey-backed Syrian opposition groups took control of Manbij from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) following the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by an alliance of rebel groups on December 8.
US-backed Kurdish groups in Syria such as the SDF and the People’s Protection Units (YPG) are seen as terrorist groups by Turkey and offshoots of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies.
SDF commander Mazloum Abdi announced on X on Wednesday that his forces would be withdrawing from Manbij after they reached a US-brokered ceasefire with Turkish-backed fighters.
In the same statement, Abdi also talked about the prospects of the transfer of the Suleiman Shah tomb back to its former site in Syria, saying that the Kurdish forces are ready to facilitate such a move.
> خلال التهديد الذي شكله تنظيم داعش عام 2015، ساهمنا في حماية رفات سليمان شاه عبر تسهيل نقلها إلى منطقة آشمة.
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> واليوم، نجدد تأكيدنا على التزامنا الراسخ بالحفاظ على المواقع التاريخية، واستعدادنا للتنسيق مع جميع الأطراف المعنية لتيسير إعادة رفاته إلى موقع المزار الأصلي ، بما يتماشى…
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> — Mazloum Abdî مظلوم عبدي (@MazloumAbdi) [December 11, 2024](https://twitter.com/MazloumAbdi/status/1866940361433812999?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
He recalled that the Kurdish forces helped protect the remains of Suleiman Shah by facilitating the transfer of the shrine to the Syrian region of Ashma and that they are now ready to help in its return to its original site.
“Today, we reaffirm our firm commitment to preserving historic sites and our readiness to coordinate with all concerned parties to facilitate the return of his remains to the original shrine site, in line with previous international agreements and with full respect for cultural heritage,” Abdi said.
Turkey views the shrine of Suleiman Shah as sovereign territory under a treaty signed between Turkey and France, the colonial power at time, in 1921, but ousted Syrian President Assad condemned the operation, describing it as “flagrant aggression” and said “Turkey will be responsible for the results.”
Suleiman Shah was the grandfather of Osman I, who founded the Ottoman Empire in 1299. Travelling through Syria of the time, he fell off his horse and drowned in the Euphrates near the site of the mausoleum, according to historians.