Turkey is the third largest exporter of soap operas in the world. At the moment, our south-eastern neighbor is surpassed only by the USA and Great Britain.
Meriem Weatherly played the role of Hurem Sultan in "The Magnificent Century"
Between 2020 and 2023, global demand for Turkish TV series has grown by 184%. For comparison, growth in Korean dramas is 73%, according to data from a study by Parrot Analytics.
The rise of the Turkish film industry began at the end of the first decade of the 21st century with series such as "1001 Nights", "Forbidden Fruit", and "Pearl", which conquered viewers from Budapest to the Persian Gulf, delineating the borders of the Ottoman Empire.
The real big break came with "The Magnificent Century", which starting in 2011 for several years told the story of the most famous Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent /1520-1566/ and his concubine Hurem. The Sultan liquidates anyone he suspects of trying to rival him, including two sons-in-law, two sons, and several grandsons - and you think you're in trouble... Halit Ergench plays the role of Suleiman. Among his ancestors are representatives of the famous Albanian family Kuprulyu. At the beginning of the 20th century, one of its representatives fell in love with a Bulgarian woman in Istanbul, and this is how Halit's parents were born.
Today, Suleiman shares his throne with other ruling series. The latest is "Gaddar" ("No Mercy") about a soldier who returns from war and is forced to become a contract killer to protect his family. /BGNES
