During Mahmoud Abbas' visit to Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greeted the Palestinian president by descending his palace’s stairwell with eight “warriors” on either side of him.
Turkish newspaper Hürriyet Daily News later explained on Tuesday that the 16 warriors were meant to represent each of the 16 states established by the Turkic people.
Pictures of the visit went viral through various media outlets and among social media users
According to Hürriyet the military suggested the idea, which was welcomed by the presidential office.
In Erdogan's speech after welcoming the Palestinian leader, Erdogan accused Western states of hypocrisy over the Charlie Hebdo attack that took place last week, saying that they should have done more to protect mosques from attacks.
According to Palestinian news agency, Safa, Erdogan and his Palestinian counterpart were to discuss the latest developments in the Palestinian cause, with a focus on the failed attempts to reach a settlement with Israel. Erdogan and Abbas were also set to discuss bilateral relations between the countries.
On Twitter, many activists shared the photo of Erdogan’s stairwell, sarcastically referring to it as a promo for a new Ottoman television drama. Some even photo-shopped the picture, making the soldiers look like characters from the famous television show “Game of Thrones.”
