When Suleiman the Magnificent died —once one of the most powerful and longest-reigning rulers of the Ottoman Empire— it is said his heart and body were separated and buried in two secret locations. Researchers say they may have discovered the long-lost tomb believed to have been built over the spot where Suleiman’s tent once stood, and where he died.
LiveScience reports that excavations over the last three years have centered in southern Hungary, based upon historical records and archival registers surrounding the siege of the fortress of Szigetva.
Suleiman’s Secret Death
The 71-year-old sultan died at Szigetvar in 1566 as his troops besieged its fortress, but before they saw final victory. The castle was defended by Croatian-Hungarian nobleman Miklos Zrinyi and locals. Suleiman (Süleyman) was an important figure and his death in the imperial tent was kept a secret from his troops for some 48 days. Historians say that to maintain the illusion that he still lived, the sultan’s advisors forged his handwriting on official documents, dressed in his clothing, and smuggled his body out in a servant’s coffin.
The charade was to avoid conflict and upheaval before the succession of Suleiman’s son, Selim II.
Suleiman the Magnificent, circa 1530. (Public Domain)