Archaeologists in eastern Türkiye are analyzing human remains recovered from what they believe is a Seljuk martyr cemetery that could be linked to the 1071 Battle of Manzikert, a pivotal medieval conflict that opened much of Anatolia to Turkish settlement.
The skeletons, unearthed during ongoing excavations near the town of Malazgirt in Muş province, are undergoing anthropological examination and ancient DNA analysis as researchers seek to determine the identities of those buried there and whether they were connected to one of the most consequential battles in Middle Eastern and Byzantine history.
The excavation is part of the Malazgirt Battlefield Identification, Historical and Archaeological Survey Project, launched in 2020 by Türkiye's Culture and Tourism Ministry in partnership with the Ahlat Museum Directorate and Muş Alparslan University.
A multidisciplinary team of archaeologists, anthropologists, historians and art historians is excavating a site in the Afşin neighborhood, about 7.5 kilometers (4.7 miles) from Malazgirt, where researchers are investigating whether a Seljuk-era cemetery is linked to the Battle of Manzikert.
This season, excavators have identified 18 graves. The team first documents the graves' perimeter stones and headstones before carefully removing basalt cover stones buried 80 to 110 centimeters (31 to 43 inches) below the surface. Beneath them are rock-cut burial chambers carved into the bedrock.
