The local municipality in the district of Ahlat, in the eastern province of Bitlis, is offering a prize of 60,000 Turkish Liras (around $35,000) for a lost book, which sheds light on the town’s history.
Ahlat is known as the place where the conquest of Anatolia began from and is home to very distinctive tombstones and other historical structures.
When officials from the Ahlat Municipality were conducting research on the past of Ahlat they became aware of a book, which documented the history of the district, titled “The History of Ahlat,” written by Şeref bin Ebul Mutahhar el Ensari.
The book is believed to have been written in the 12th century.
Books written in the 14th and 15th centuries made references to the “The History of Ahlat.”
But it is now not known where this book is located.
Prize offered
In search of the book, officials visited the state achieves and libraries, but their efforts yielded no result. Officials also reckoned that the book could now be held in a private collection.
Eager to find the book to shed light on the town’s history, the Municipality of Ahlat has offered a prize of 60,000 liras to whoever returns a copy of the book. The municipality will also host this person in Ahlat for three days.
Hurriyet Daily News