Péter REMÉNYI, University of Pécs, Hungary
Norbert PAP, University of Pécs, Hungary
The siege of Szigetvár (1566) is an important historical event both in Hungarian (patriotism, self-sacrifice) and in Turkish (death of one of the greatest ruler of the Ottoman empire) memory. Buildings of the burial complex of Suleiman the Magnificent were located and excavated between 2015-2019 around the contemporary town. The utilization of the site and the memory itself is debated in Hungary where anti-muslim sentiment is relatively high.
This analyses focuses on the opportunities, challenges and concerns of the creation of a Muslim pilgrimage site and cultural tourism attraction based on the death place of the Ottoman emperor in Szigetvár, a countryside small town in a relatively periferal region. The Muslim rule in the early modern period has left deep memorial traces on Hungary. Despite the superficial similarities, opinions about Muslims in Szigetvár are more complex than in the wider Hungarian public and are influenced by acts of reconciliation and economic considerations as well. Results of an empirical research on local identity and Muslim related sentiments are presented in this paper. which also investigates why, despite the traditional anti-Muslim sentiments in the local community, the government and the ruling party (FIDESZ) failed to turn the Suleiman story into local political success after the 2015 migration crisis, during a period of extensive anti-Muslim campaigning in Hungary.
Mots clés : anti-Ottoman wars|Islamophobia|Suleiman the Magnificent|memorial site|remembrance
A104184PR