Turkey's president on Wednesday slammed a post retweeted by the United Arab Emirates' foreign minister social media targeting Fahreddin Pasha, the Ottoman governor of Medina from 1916-1919.
In an address to local headmen from across the country in the capital, Ankara, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said: "It is not a coincidence that those, who think it is a skill to be together with the tyrants at a period when Muslims are under attack and violence, target Fahreddin Pasha."
"Where were your ancestors when our Fahreddin Pasha was defending Medina?" Erdoğan asked.
His remarks came after U.A.E. Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan retweeted a post on Twitter, which accused Fahreddin Pasha of committing crimes against the local population and theft of their property.
In the post, Turks are accused of stealing "most of the manuscripts of the Mahmudiyah library in the city" and sending them to Turkey.
"These are Erdoğan's ancestors and their history with Arab Muslims," the tweet read.
Erdoğan said: "It seems that you never knew about this nation, and Erdoğan, and his ancestors."
About the claims of theft, Erdoğan stressed it was not stealing but "protecting the holy relics of the Prophet Mohamed from the invaders".
Fahreddin Pasha sent the holy relics to Istanbul during the British invasion of Hejaz, Erdoğan said and told how hard the Ottoman governor tried to protect the relics.
Topkapi Palace in Istanbul hosts the Chamber of the Holy Relics, which contains various relics of Prophet Mohamed, his companions, and other items associated with him.
Similarly, Erdoğan said, during the Second World War the relics were also sent to some secret places outside Istanbul for safekeeping.
The issue was also on the agenda of Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın, who on Tuesday tweeted:
"It is a shame that @ABZayed, FM of UAE, retweets this propaganda lie that seeks to turn Turks & Arabs against one another, again.
"It was Fahreddin Pasha who bravely defended Medina against the British plans then. Is attacking President Erdoğan at all costs the new fashion now?"
