The small town of Szigetvár in southern Hungary witnessed one of the key moments of Ottoman history: Suleiman the Magnificent died in his camp here in 1566, during the siege of the fortress.
The siege
The fortress was defended by the Croatian-born commander Nikola Zrinski (Zrínyi Miklós). The sultan died shortly before it fell. Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha kept his death secret; the fortress fell and Zrinski was killed in his final sortie.
The lost tomb
Suleiman’s body was taken to Istanbul and buried in his tomb at the Süleymaniye. According to tradition, his internal organs were buried where he died, and a tomb was built there. When the region passed out of Ottoman hands at the end of the 17th century, the tomb was destroyed and its location forgotten.
In 2015–2016 Hungarian archaeologists found the remains of this tomb during excavations at Turbék, near Szigetvár. The discovery of a site searched for over centuries attracted wide attention.
What to see today
- Hungarian-Turkish Friendship Park: busts of Suleiman and Zrinski commemorate two former enemies side by side.
- Szigetvár Castle: the fortress where the siege took place.
- Turbék: the excavation site of the tomb.