Erdogan has said lots of things about where his state stands versus the past. In many ways his rhetoric is often at odds with things he said in the past. I often think of this commercial in this regard:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ea0...

This is Ryan by the way.

I'm not sure it's that much a departure. Erdogan speaks often of the 1000 year devlet, one rooted in the Selcuk experience. Look closely and it in fact reflects exactly what one finds in Türk Tarihinin Ana Hatları. Seems more like ongoing Kemalism appropriation.

Lols