MARAWI City, Philippines – The MSU Aga Khan Museum has become the stage for a renewed chapter in centuries-old ties between the Philippines and Türkiye. In a solemn ceremony, a historic letter from the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was officially presented to the museum by Prof. Dr. Mehmet Rıza Derindağ, Founder of the Türkiye–Philippines Friendship Foundation (TUFİFSA) and President of MÜSİAD Philippines.
This milestone moment echoes a legacy dating back to the late 1800s, when Ottoman Sultan and Caliph Abdulhamid II, deeply concerned for the Pacific and its Muslim populations, extended humanitarian aid, dispatched scholars, and gifted a large antique copy of the Qur’an to Mindanao in 1893, at the close of the holy month of Ramadan. That same Qur’an still rests in the Aga Khan Museum in Marawi today as a powerful testimony to the enduring connection between the Ottoman Caliphate and the Moro people.
Today, history has been renewed. Dr. Derindağ, after rediscovering this antique Ottoman Qur’an, spearheaded the publication of a Maranao-language translation of the Noble Qur’an, originally rendered by H. R. Aleem Alapa, carefully reviewed by the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation, and edited in Türkiye. A remarkable 10,000 copies of this translation have now been donated to the Moro people through the efforts of the Diyanet Foundation and Dr. Derindağ.
In his letter, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emphasized Türkiye’s historic and spiritual bond with Mindanao, recalling the footsteps of Sultan Abdulhamid II: “Prepared with great care and dedication by our Türkiye Diyanet Foundation, this exceptional gift is a symbol of our unity, solidarity, and everlasting brotherhood. As the Turkish Nation and the Republic of Türkiye, we have always stood with the Muslim Moro people, and with Allah’s permission, we shall continue to do so in the future.”
For Dr. Derindağ, this moment is a turning point: “The first diplomatic ties trace back to 1560, when the Sultan of Sulu established relations with the Ottoman Caliphate. By the 1800s, Ottoman archives confirm support for Muslim pilgrims from Sulu and Maguindanao traveling to Mecca. Today, by reviving this history through cultural, political, and business ties, we are reconnecting two nations that share a common past and a shared future.”
The ceremony stands as more than a symbolic exchange. It is a reaffirmation of Türkiye’s role as a bridge of peace and solidarity with Muslim communities across the world, and a testament to Erdogan’’s tireless efforts to bring Türkiye and the Philippines closer through diplomacy, business, culture, and education.
With the historic Qur’an, the Maranao translation, and President Erdoğan’s message now enshrined in Marawi, both nations look forward to a future of lasting peace, development, and progress for the Moro people and the Philippines.
