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From Our Own Correspondent: Old Enemies Unite

15/09/2016 GMT

BBC World Service - The Essential, From Our Own Correspondent: Old Enemies Unite

Nick Thorpe reports from Szigetvar, Hungary - burial site of Suleiman the Magnificent

Nick Thorpe explores the history of Szigetvar, where Hungarians, Croatians and Turks recently gathered to remember a great battle and the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.

Suleiman the Magnificent was one of the Ottoman empire's most renowned sultans - and led several of its military expansions. In Szigetvar, Hungary, Nick Thorpe recently witnessed a commemoration of the great siege and battle between Ottoman and European forces which took place there 450 years ago. The ceremony revealed much - not just about history, but also about current alliances and tensions in the region, as Hungarian, Croatian and Turkish delegations all showed up. But whose military band shone brightest?

Photo: Statues of the rival military leaders of the 16th century Ottoman Sultan Suleiman (R) and his opponent Miklos Zrinyi (L) at the Hungarian-Turkish friendship park in Szigetvar, Hungary, September 2, 2016. (ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/GettyImages)

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