Turkish Troops Relocate Historic Tomb in Syria

tomb of Suleyman Shah location — The pin shows the former location of the tomb of Suleyman Shah in northern Syria

(Image credit: Google Maps)

Turkey staged its first large-scale military mission in Syria over the weekend, sending hundreds of troops and armored tanks across the border not only to rescue a group of stranded soldiers but also to save an 800-year-old skeleton.

During the raid in the Syrian village of Karakozak, on the banks of the Euphrates River, Turkish forces recovered the sarcophagus, human remains and other relics from the tomb of Suleyman Shah, the grandfather of Osman I, who founded the Ottoman Empire.

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"It surprised me that the Turkish government launched this fairly large mission involving several hundred troops to go and do this," said Michael Danti, an archaeologist at Boston University. "I think it really shines a light on the central focus of heritage in the current conflict. This is the first time Turkey has moved in and officially done something in Syria since the start of all this — and it's about heritage."

Danti has been compiling weekly reports on the status of Syria's imperiled archaeological sites as part of a U.S. State Department-funded initiative through the American Schools of Oriental Research. From sources in Syria, media reports and satellite images, Danti and his collaborators have been documenting the destruction to Syrian heritage due to looting, combat damage, illegal construction and sometimes deliberate destruction.

Suleyman Shah is believed to have drowned in the Euphrates River in the 13th century, and since then, his tomb has been relocated several times. Most recently, construction of the Tabqa Dam threatened to flood the tomb, and it was moved from Qal'at Ja'bar (sometimes called Caber Castle) to a specially built mausoleum in the village of Karakozak in 1975. Though the tomb was in Syria, about 23 miles (37 kilometers) away from the Turkish border, it had been considered a sovereign territory of Turkey.

Megan has been writing for Live Science and Space.com since 2012. Her interests range from archaeology to space exploration, and she has a bachelor's degree in English and art history from New York University. Megan spent two years as a reporter on the national desk at NewsCore. She has watched dinosaur auctions, witnessed rocket launches, licked ancient pottery sherds in Cyprus and flown in zero gravity. Follow her on Twitter and Google+.