Battle of Manzikert (1071)

To halt the Turkish advance into Anatolia, the Byzantine emperor Romanos IV Diogenes gathered a large army and marched to Manzikert, north of Lake Van. Alp Arslan met him with a smaller but highly mobile cavalry force.

On 26 August 1071 the Seljuk horsemen used the "Turan tactic" — feigned retreat and encirclement — to rout the Byzantine army, and the emperor was captured. Alp Arslan released him on terms of ransom and peace.

After the victory Oghuz and Turkmen tribes settled Anatolia in large numbers, and the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum and Turkish beyliks soon arose. The anniversary is celebrated at Malazgirt every 26 August.