SURIYE ESMESI
The Anadolu Agency was the only media outlet to broadcast the Turkish military forces' operation to relocate the Suleyman Shah tomb and troops guarding it late Saturday.
Turkey's only exclave has been temporarily relocated to a new site within Syria due to the ongoing conflict in the country, Turkey's Foreign Ministry announced Sunday morning.
Turkish forces surrounded a site planned to be where the Suleyman Shah tomb will be rehoused near the Turkish border inside Syria.
"Based on extensive assessments, the Tomb of Suleyman Shah and Saygi Outpost, together with the sarcophagus itself, have been temporarily moved to a new site within Syria, corresponding to the acreage of the previous one, in the north of Suriye Eşmesi village close to the Turkish borders," a statement released by the foreign ministry said.
Protected by Turkish troops, the Suleyman Shah Tomb and surrounding area, are located in Aleppo's Manbij district, 37 km away from the Turkish border.
Turkish forces, supported by more than 100 vehicles, including 39 tanks, entered Syria through Kobani, a town where heavy fighting between Kurdish forces and Islamic State and the Levant militants has went on for months.
The operation started at 9pm (1900GMT) on Saturday night under heavy security, as Turkish security forces blocked civilian passage in the roads leading to the border gate from Suruc.
A number of Turkish tanks crossed the border into the Syrian side along with mine detection teams clearing the way for them and moved to the new site designated earlier.
Military construction vehicles cleaned the area while heavy gunners guarded them.
Soldiers raised the Turkish flag on the site and saluted it afterwards.
The tomb and its annex, since their construction originally on the hills of Caber Castle, had gone through several processes of demolition, relocation, and reconstruction. The tomb was moved to its current location in 1975 as a consequence of a dam construction.
Shah has an important place in Turkish history since he was the grandfather of the founder of the Ottoman Empire.
