Tomb of Suleyman Shah

The tomb of Süleyman Shah, the grandfather of the Ottoman Empire founder, will be returned to its original place when conditions are suitable, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Fikri Işık said on June 7. 

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said late on Dec. 11 the tomb of Süleyman Şah, the grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, would be returned to its previous location in Syria.

Syria's official news agency SANA on May 10 denounced Turkey's prime minister for making a cross-border trip to a historic tomb inside Syrian territory, calling the visit a "clear aggression".

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu has crossed into Syria to pay an unscheduled visit to the historic tomb of Süleyman ?ah.

Military helicopters protected the Turkish convoy while the prime minister visited the tomb, only 253 meters away from the border, near Syria's Ashme village.

About 120 weeks after (then foreign minister) Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu accurately predicted that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad?s days in power were numbered and (then prime minister) President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an promised that ?we shall soon have prayers of gratitude in Damascus? (after Mr.

Turkey?s army continued preparations to move a historical Ottoman tomb closer to the Turkish border in northern Syria on Feb. 24, but the owner of the plot has reportedly said Ankara did not ask for permission to use the land.

Main opposition Republican People?s Party (CHP) leader Kemal K?l?çdaro?lu has criticized the government over the recent evacuation of the Tomb of Süleyman ?ah within Syrian territory, describing it as an ?abandonment.?

The evacuation of the Süleyman ?ah tomb, and its relocation a hundred meters from the Turkish border, is a public relations disaster for the Justice and Development Party (AKP) government.

The symbolic sarcophagi of Süleyman ?ah and his two guards was placed in a temporary tomb in the southeastern province of ?anlurfa with a ceremony on Feb. 23, as construction continues in Syria?s Ashme region, where the artifacts will be transferred permanently.

The government had to relocate the historical artifact from ISIL to Kurdish-controlled Syrian soil The relocation of the Turkish tomb in Syria with an army operation overnight on Feb. 21 could be taken as the Turkish government?s second retreat regarding pressure from the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) in Syria and Iraq in the last six months.