The tomb of a famed 16th century Ottoman ruler known as Suleiman the Magnificient may be, after years of speculation and searching, in Hungary.
Norbert Pap, who heads the department of Political Geography, Regional and Development Studies at Hungary’s University of Pecs, announced the discovery in a press conference Wednesday. According to Mr. Pap, the site near Szigetvar is “in all likelihood” where Suleiman’s long-lost tomb is located.
The site also corresponds to the historic area where Suleiman’s troops surrounded and attempted to capture the region’s fortress in 1566—a battle that Suleiman did not survive. Mr. Pap believes the tomb was built over the same spot where Suleiman’s tent was pitched and where the sultan died at the age of 71.
The site was first discovered by Mr. Pap in 2013 and believed to be the former Ottoman settlement of Turbek, destroyed in the late 17th century. Objects and wall fragments found during excavations are among the compelling evidence that no confirms the probable location as that of Suleiman’s tomb. However, if the tomb is found, archaeologists only expect to find the leader’s heart, as his body and internal organs were separated at death and the latter taken back to Istanbul (then Constantinople).
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Other buildings found in Szigetvar include a mosque and a monastery.
Mr. Pap said excavations would continue in April 2016.
