Turbék pilgrimage Traditional Geocache
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This cache raises a monument to the memory of three famous commanders. They were Suleyman the Great (Turkish sultan), IV. and VII. Zrínyi Miklós (they were Croatian vicekings).
How to approach? You drive on No67 highway and you turn north-east at N46° 03,445 E017° 48,673’, then you drive to the chapel. You can park in the grassy field near the chapel. You can find the cache in a tree-hollow.
Hungary’s south part was occupied by Osmanly empire in 1500s and it was continuously theatre of war up to setting free in 1686.
The Turkish army sieged Szigetvár castle two times: 1556 and 1566.
In 1556 they were defeated, but in 1566 they occupied the castle. Let us deal with the siege of 1566!
Suleyman planned to invade Vienna to occupy Austria in 1566. To secure his hinterland he wanted to annihilate Szigetvár, the strongest South-Transdanubian castle of Hungarian Kingdom.
IV. Zrínyi Miklós commanded the defence of castle (2,500 soldiers) and sultan Suleyman the Great commanded the siege (100,000 soldiers). IV. Zrínyi Miklós was the Croatian viceking and at the same time the commander-in-chief of Hungarian Army. You know Croatia was from 11th century an associated country with Hungarian Kingdom with local autonomy under rule of Hungarian Holy Crown.
Suleyman sieged Szigetvár during 30 days and the biggest part of defenders died. They knew that the situation is a hopeless matter and they made a choice to die as true-born heroes.
On September 7. 1566. Zrínyi put on his gala dress, he placed 100 gold coins in his pockets as a prize for Turkish soldier who will kill him, then in the company of his rest 300 soldiers he sallied out and they died to a man in the fight against the hundredfold numerical superiority.
But Suleyman also died in Szigetvár two or three days before Zrínyi’s death.
Suleyman’s tent stood out of range of Szigetvár guns here, and Suleyman died because of illness. The headquarters staff kept his death from osmanly soldiers to protect their martial spirit. They made doctors embalm the sultan in secret in his tent and they buried his heart also inside of the tent.
Later Suleyman’s son, sultan Selim built a „türbe” (Turkish word) here. That is a mausoleum over the buried heart. This türbe got a pilgrimage place for Islamic believers for one hundred years. They built a little fortress round the türbe.
In 1664. VII. Zrínyi Miklós (he was the great-grandson the Szigetvár hero IV. Zrínyi Miklós), occupied and annihilated the fortress, but they didn’t harm the türbe because of having respect for deceased people.
Later the türbe got annihilated and a catholic chapel was built on this place (1741). It is a Catholic pilgrimage place of Virgin Mary now because of her helping in the course of setting free Hungary’s south part in 1686.
You can find the Zrínyi’s and Suleyman’s statues in a new memorial park beside the No67 highway at N46° 04,446’ E017° 48,855’ and the castle in Szigetvár town at N46° 03,000’ E017° 47,765’.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Lbh pna svaq gur yvggyr pnpur va gur ubyybj bs n gerr.