Archaeologists working to identify the battlefield of the 1071 Battle of Manzikert – a battle that paved the way for Turkish settlement in Anatolia – have uncovered arrowheads during excavations at a site believed to be a Seljuk-era burial ground.
Located in Muş in eastern Türkiye, the Manzikert excavation began in 2020 with support from Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s Directorate General of Cultural Heritage and Museums. The project is being carried out in cooperation with the Ahlat Museum Directorate and Muş Alparslan University and is now in its seventh field season.
A 44-member team of archaeologists, anthropologists, art historians and historians from multiple universities is working under the scientific direction of professor Adnan Çevik of Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, searching for physical evidence linked to the historic battle.
Researchers are focusing on an area in the Afşin neighborhood, about 7.5 kilometers (4.7 miles) from the district center, where a site believed to be a Seljuk burial ground – possibly a “martyrs’ cemetery” – is located. Excavations have begun on 18 additional graves in the area.
Çevik told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the project has now reached its seventh year and continues to refine the location and scope of the battlefield.
