Muhteşem Yüzyıl

Muhteşem Yüzyıl
Muhteşem Yüzyıl
Magnificent Century
Muhteşem Yüzyıl.jpg
Format Historical fiction
Written by Meral Okay
Directed by Yağmur Taylan
Durul Taylan
Starring Halit Ergenç
Nur Fettahoğlu
Nebahat Çehre
Okan Yalabık
Meryem Uzerli
Filiz Ahmet
Mehmet Günsür
Burak Özçivit
Country of origin Turkey
Language(s) Turkish
No. of seasons 2 (List of Seasons)
No. of episodes 32
Production
Producer(s) Tims Production
Location(s) Istanbul, Edirne, Marmaris
Running time ~90 min.
Broadcast
Original channel Show TV
Original airing January 5, 2011

Muhteşem Yüzyıl (English: Magnificent Century) is a Turkish prime time historical soap opera television series broadcast on Turkey's Show TV network. It is based on the life of Süleyman I (also known as Suleiman the Magnificent), the longest reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and Hürrem (a.k.a. Roxelana), the slave girl who became his queen.[1]

The show generated controversy and complaints from some viewers, for what they referred to as a "disrespectful", "indecent" and "hedonistic" portrayal of the historical sultan.[1][2] Turkey's Radio and Television Supreme Council, known as RTÜK, claimed they had received over 70,000 complaints about the show and warned Show TV to publicly apologise for wrongly exposing "the privacy of a historical person".[1] The Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the show as "an effort to show our history in a negative light to the younger generations."[1] Small groups of Islamists and Nationalists protested the studio but the show remains popular with viewers, with consistently high ratings.[1]

Contents

Plot

The "Magnificent Century" of the Ottomans refers to the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent , and the series dramatizes the intrigues of his harem and court.

At the age of twenty-six, when his rule began, Sultan Süleyman sought to build a empire in this world more powerful and more extensive than Alexander the Great and to render the Ottomans invincible.

Throughout his 46-year reign, Sultan Süleyman became known as the greatest warrior and ruler of the East and West. The young Süleyman ascended to the throne after receiving the news of his crowning at a hunting party in 1520. Unaware that he would be embarking on a reign that would later be considered the pinnacle of Ottoman rule, he left behind his consort Mahidevran and their son, little prince Mustafa, at his palace in Manisa, and, accompanied by his close friend and companion Pargalı İbrahim, took the road to Topkapı Palace in İstanbul.

While they were on route, an Ottoman ship sailed off from Crimea across the Black Sea, bringing female slaves as gifts for the Ottoman palace. On this ship was Alexandra La Rossa, the daughter of a Ukrainian Orthodox minister. This young girl, who had been kidnapped from her family and sold to the Ottoman palace as a slave, would become Hürrem (Roksolana), the consort who so captivated Sultan Süleyman that he took the nearly unprecedented step of making her his wife. She would bear his sons and rule his empire together with him through bloodshed and intrigue.

As Sultan Süleyman ruled his empire, he allowed his great passion for Hürrem a heavy influence in his court.

The television series focuses on the relationships between the members of the imperial household, especially the romantic entanglements and rivalries. The animosity between Hürrem and Mahidevran, and Hürrem's rise as Süleyman's favorite while pregnant with his son, her fall from favor after her son's birth and her eventual return to grace, provide the main subject matter of the series. Significant subplots include the affection between the Grand Vizier and one of the ladies of the royal household and the tension between Christian Europe and the Ottoman Empire.

Main characters

Actor name role name Explanation
Halit Ergenç Suleiman the Magnificent The 10th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire
Nur Fettahoğlu Mahidevran Sultan The Sultan's concubine, mother of the Sultan's first child
Meryem Uzerli Hürrem The Sultan's wife, mother of four of the Sultan's children
Nebahat Çehre Ayşe Hafsa Sultan Queen Mother (The Sultan's mother) And Yavuz Sultan Selim's wife
Okan Yalabık Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire
Selma Ergeç "Hatice" Sultan Suleiman's sister.
Filiz Ahmet "Nigar" Kalfa Servant of Sultan
Alp Öyken Pope Clement VII Pope of the Roman Catholic Church during that time
Selma Keçik "Daye" Hatun The Queen Mother's Maid
Nihal Büyükağaç "Gülşah" Mahidevran's Maid
Selim Bayraktar Sümbül Ağa Agha of the Harem
Seçkin Özdemir Leo old flame of Alexandra/Hürrem, Court painter
Kadir Çermik Louis II of Hungary King of Hungary and Bohemia
Burcu Tuna Uruk Gülnihal/Maria Hürrem's Maid
Saadet Işıl Aksoy Countess Victoria Countess of Hungary and the bridesmaid of Hatice
Fatih Al Matrakçı Nasuh Miniaturist, painter
Mehmet Günsür Şehzade Mustafa Prince
Burak Özçivit Malkoçoğlu Bali Bey Commander/Hero

Seasons

Muhteşem Yüzyıl is currently airing it's second season.

Season 1 EPISODES 24 ORIGINAL ARING DATE January 5 - June 15 2011

Season 2 EPISODES 5 ORIGINAL ARING DATE September 7 - ...

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Fowler, Suzanne (2011-03-20). "Magnificent Century divides Turkish TV viewers over the life of Suleiman". The Observer. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/20/turkish-drama-magnificent-century-divides. Retrieved 2011-03-20. 
  2. ^ "Muhtesem Yuzyil “Magnificent Century” takes Turkey by storm". Istanbul View. http://www.istanbulview.com/muhtesem-yuzyil/. Retrieved 2011-03-20. 

External links


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