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Byzantine Ballista Bolts Unearthed at Manzikert Reveal the Siege Before Anatolia’s Turning Point
More than nine centuries after the armies of Byzantium and the Seljuks confronted one another near Manzikert, archaeologists have uncovered evidence from the tense days that preceded the battle. Four iron ballista bolt heads have been found at Taşbaşı, a strategic area about 500 metres southeast of the inner fortress of Malazgirt in eastern Türkiye.…
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Medieval Graves in Malazgirt May Hold Clues to the Aftermath of the 1071 Seljuk-Byzantine Battle
The 1071 Battle of Malazgirt was fought between the Seljuk army of Sultan Alp Arslan and the Byzantine forces of Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes for control of eastern Anatolia. The Seljuk victory did not transform the region overnight, but it weakened Byzantine authority in the east and became one of the defining turning points in…
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Unearthed Gate Reveals Konya’s Hidden Seljuk Defense Line Against the Mongol Threat
Beneath the busy streets of modern Konya, archaeologists have uncovered the foundations of a monumental gate once built to shield the Seljuk capital from Mongol invasions. The find confirms the existence of the long-debated outer fortifications constructed under Sultan Alaaddin Keykubat in the early 13th century — a discovery that rewrites the defensive map of…