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Muhteşem Yüzyıl
Also known as	The Magnificent Century
Written by	Meral Okay (1–2) Yılmaz Şahin (2–4)
Directed by	Yagmur Taylan (1–3) Durul Taylan (1–3) Mert Baykal (4) Yağız Alp Akaydın (4)
Starring	Halit Ergenç Meryem Uzerli Vahide Perçin Okan Yalabık Nebahat Çehre Pelin Karahan Nur Fettahoğlu Selma Ergeç Mehmet Günsür Berrak Tüzünataç Gürbey İleri Arif Erkin Güzelbeyoğlu Ozan Güven Engin Öztürk Merve Boluğur Tolga Sarıtaş Sabina Ajrula Aras Bulut İynemli Burcu Özberk Deniz Çakır Meltem Cumbul Tuncel Kurtiz Burak Özçivit Filiz Ahmet Sarp Akkaya Selim Bayraktar
Composers	Fahir Atakoğlu Aytekin Ataş Soner Akalin
Country of origin	Turkey
Original language	Turkish
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	139 (list of episodes)
Production
Producer	Timur Savci
Running time	90-150 min.
Production company	Tims Productions
Original release
Network	Show TV (2011) Star TV (2012–2014)
Release	January 5, 2011 (2011-01-05) – June 11, 2014 (2014-06-11)
Related
Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem

Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Turkish pronunciation: [muhteˈʃem ˈjyzjɯl], lit. 'Magnificent Century') is a Turkish historical drama series. Written by Meral Okay and Yılmaz Şahin, it is based on the life of Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, the longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and his wife Hürrem Sultan, a slave girl who became the first Ottoman Haseki Sultan. It also sheds light on the era known as the Sultanate of Women. It was originally broadcast on Show TV and then transferred to Star TV.

Plot

The series follows the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, the most renowned ruler of the Ottoman Empire. As his power and influence spread and grew, it impacted him and those within the imperial household: his friend and advisor, Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha; his mother, Hafsa Sultan, the first Valide sultan; his sister, Hatice Sultan; Mahidevran Sultan, the mother of Suleiman's eldest son; and Hürrem Sultan, the Haseki sultan of Suleiman.

Spinoff

The story begins 37 years after the death of Suleiman the Magnificent. It recounts the life of Mahpeyker Kösem Sultan, a female ruler of the Ottoman Empire through her sons and grandson. Safiye Sultan, the favorite concubine of Şehzade Murad, reappears in the spinoff, now the grandmother of Ahmed I and the Valide Sultan.

Series overview

Characters

The Imperial Family

Statesmen and palace officials

Palace servants and concubines

The information of the servants and concubines are little known. Most of the characters are fictional.

Otherwise associated to the palace

Most of the characters are fictional.

Broadcast

Country	Local title	Network	Premiere date	Timeslot
Turkey	Muhteşem Yüzyıl	Show TV (Season 1–2) Star TV (Season 2–4)	January 5, 2011	20:00
Northern Cyprus	Muhteşem Yüzyıl	Show TV (Season 1–2) Star TV (Season 2–4)	January 5, 2011	20:00
Arab League	حريم السلطان Hareem Elsultan	OSN Ya Hala (Pay-per-view)	December 13, 2011
		Dubai One
Afghanistan	حرم سلطان Hurrem Sultan	1TV	August 2012
Albania	Sulejmani i Madhërishëm	TV Klan	22 January 2020	18:20
Algeria	حريم السلطان (Ḥarīm as-Sulṭān)	Echourouk TV
	Muhteşem Yüzyıl	DTV	2015
Argentina	El sultán	Telefe	April 24, 2017
Azerbaijan	Möhtəşəm Yüz İl	Lider TV	December 2011	20:10
Bangladesh	সুলতান সুলেমান Sultan Suleiman	Deepto TV	December 16, 2015	19:30
Bolivia	Suleimán El Sultán	Bolivisión	March 13, 2017	22:00
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Sulejman Veličanstveni	Televizija OBN	August 22, 2012	20:00
Bulgaria	Великолепният век Velikolepniyat vek	TV7 Diema Family	September 7, 2012 August 29, 2015	20:30 16:00
Chile	El Sultán	Canal 13	December 14, 2014	23:00
Colombia	El Sultán	Canal 1	September 10, 2018	22:00
Croatia	Sulejman veličanstveni	RTL Televizija	August 22, 2012	19:00
Cyprus		Extra	September, 2012	21:30
Czech Republic	Velkolepé století	TV Barrandov	December 17, 2011	20:00
Egypt		Al Hayat TV	November, 2011
		MBC Masr	2014
Estonia	Sajandi armastus	Kanal 2	September 1, 2013	20:35
Greece	Σουλεϊμάν ο Μεγαλοπρεπής Souleiman o Megaloprepis	ANT1	August 28, 2012 (Season 1, 2 3a) October 21, 2013 (Season 3b) June 10, 2014 (Season 4)	21:30 (Season 1,2,3) 22:15 (Season 4)
Georgia	დიდებული საუკუნე	Maestro TV	September, 2013	21:45
Hungary	Szulejmán	RTL Klub	January 4, 2013	21:30
Indonesia	Abad Kejayaan/King Suleiman	antv	December 22, 2014	22:00
Iran	حريم سلطان Hareem-e soltan	GEM TV	September, 2012	22:00
Israel	הסולטאן HaSultan	Israel Plus	December 2013	19:00
Italy	Il secolo Magnifico	Babel TV	June, 2013
Japan	オスマン帝国外伝～愛と欲望のハレム〜	Channel Ginga	August 7, 2017	0:00, 16:30
Kazakhstan	Сүлеймен сұлтан	Хабар Astana TV	March 15, 2012 / May 6, 2020	21:00
Kosovo	Sulltani: Shekulli Madhështor	RTV21	January, 2012	20:00
Kyrgyzstan	Даңазалуу доор	KTRK	March 15, 2012
Lithuania	Didingasis amžius	LNK	September 7, 2013	15:00
Latvia	Lieliskais gadsimts	LNT	September 17, 2016	21:05
Macedonia	Величествениот султан	Kanal 5	December 12, 2011	21:00
Malaysia	Magnificent Century	Astro Bella HD Astro Mustika HD (Season 1–2) Astro Ria PRIMEtime (Season 3–4)	December 4, 2017	23:00 (Season 1–2) 19:00 (Season 3) 14:00 (Season 4)
Mexico	El Sultán	Imagen Television	April 3, 2017	21:00
Morocco		Medi 1 TV	December 2011
Mongolia	Аугаа зуун	Edutainment TV	April 2019	22:00
Montenegro	Sulejman Veličanstveni	Prva TV RTCG	March, 2012 October 11, 2013	20:00 20:05
Nicaragua	El Sultán	Canal 10	May 1, 2017	20:00 21:00
Pakistan	میرا سُلطان Mera Sultan	Geo Kahani	May 10, 2013	21:00
	حورم اور سُلطان Hürrem Aur Sultan	ATV	2017	20:00
Panama	El Sultán	TVN	November 9, 2015	20:00
Peru	El Sultán	ATV	February 15, 2016	21:00
Poland	Wspaniałe stulecie	TVP1	October 6, 2014	15:45
Romania	Suleyman Magnificul: Sub domnia iubirii	Kanal D Romania	September 12, 2012	20:00
Russia	Великолепный век	Domashny	January 9, 2012	21:00
Serbia	Сулејман Величанствени Sulejman Veličanstveni	Prva B92 Nova.rs Pink	February 9, 2012 September 1, 2013 December 17, 2013 September 19, 2014	20:20 19:05 20:00 20:00
Slovakia	Sultán	TV Doma	December 15, 2011	20:30
Slovenia	Sulejman Veličastni	Planet TV	March 5, 2013	12:50
South Korea	위대한 세기	Welike	July 8, 2019	23:20
Spain	El Sultán	nova.atresmedia.com	June 13, 2022	21:30
Tanzania	Sultan	azam two	April 16, 2018	22:00
Thailand	สุไลมาน สุลต่านผู้เกรียงไกร	Channel 3 SD [th]	August 6, 2018	20.30
Tunisia	حريم السلطان Hareem Elsultan	Nessma TV	April, 2013	20:45
Uzbekistan	Muhtasham yuz yil	Milliy TV	December 10, 2018	21:00
Ukraine	Величне століття: Роксолана	1+1	October 8, 2012	17:10
United States	Suleimán - El Gran sultán	MundoMax	July 1, 2014	20:00
Vietnam	Thời đại hoàng kim - The Golden Age	HTV7	February 4, 2015	11:00

Reception

Controversy

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. 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". The Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the show as "an effort to show our history in a negative light to the younger generations." An MP for the governing Justice and Development Party, Oktay Saral, went further, threatening to outlaw the "misrepresentation of historical figures" in shows such as Muhteşem Yüzyıl. Small groups of Islamists and Nationalists protested the studio but the show remains successful with consistently high ratings.

Elif Batuman wrote in The New Yorker:

"On the surface, 'Magnificent Century' looks like a quintessential product of the Erdoğan years. Thanks to Erdoğan's economic policies, Turkey has a thriving television industry, capable of staging elaborate period dramas, and a prosperous family-oriented middle class of observant Muslims eager to watch their own values reflected in a historical imperial setting. And, much as Erdoğan's foreign policy has promoted relations with former Ottoman lands, the show has conquered large audiences in Balkan, Caucasian, and Arab countries not known for their fond memory of Ottoman rule. Broadcast to more than two hundred million viewers in fifty-two countries, "Magnificent Century" has accomplished one of Erdoğan's main goals: Making a powerful, non-secularist, globally involved version of Turkey both plausible and appealing.... And yet Erdoğan is not a fan. In late 2012, at the opening of a provincial airport he took a moment to condemn the show's depiction of Suleiman, as well as its directors and broadcasters, hinting at severe judicial repercussions."

According to the report of Radio Free Asia, some Uyghur people were arrested for watching the series in 2020, as the Chinese government considered that it might encourage the thought of the Xinjiang Independence.

Anachronisms

Notable writers and critics pointed out multiple chronological mistakes in various scenes related to the timeline in which the plot takes place (1520-1566). Some of these anachronisms (or chronological inconsistencies) are as follows:

• Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha is shown, in many scenes, as he is working on a table. The practice of using tables in Ottoman palaces, however, was not adopted until the era of Abdulmejid I (1823-1861).
• Louis II, The King of Hungary, is portrayed in the series as an old man who provokes the Ottoman Empire by executing the Ottoman envoy. The problem with this portrayal is that Louis II never executed anyone, and he was only 20 years old when he died during the Battle of Mohács.
• In one of the episodes of the show, Sultan Suleiman recites the following Turkish phrase: "Nush ile yola gelmeyeni etmeli tekdir, tekdir ile uslanmayanın hakkı kötektir." This phrase comes from the Terkîb-i Bend of Ziya Pasha, which was only written in 1870, almost 400 years after Suleiman's reign.
• One of the workers in the kitchen is shown as she is dicing tomatoes. However, tomatoes started becoming a part of the Ottoman cuisine only after 1835, as it took time for them to spread around the world after their discovery in South and Central America following Cristopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas.
• In the scene where Suleiman the Magnificent visits his son Şehzade Mustafa in the Manisa Palace, it can be seen that the floor is covered with parquet. However, parquet (parquet de menuiserie) was first used in 1684 on the floors of Palace of Versailles.

International popularity

Muhteşem Yüzyıl is reported to have an international audience of 200 million viewers in over 50 countries.

The show is part of an ongoing revival of Turkish culture in the Balkans through imported TV shows from Turkey, such as Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman Ki ("As time goes by", number one TV show in North Macedonia), or Fatmagül'ün Suçu Ne? ("What is Fatmagül's fault"), which was top ranked TV show in Kosovo 2012. Serbian sociologist Ratko Bozovic explains the popularity by pointing at the traditional, patriarchal values of the Turkish shows, and the many cultural and linguistic similarities between Turkey and the Balkan countries: "The mentality depicted in those shows has to do with a traditional understanding of morality that people in Serbia remember at some level." According to Bozovic, all Balkan countries have seen dramatic changes in terms of family life, and the Turkish shows help them recall value systems that now seem lost.

In Bangladesh, the show was known as সুলতান সুলেমান (Sultan Suleiman) and it was broadcast on Deepto TV, dubbed in Bangla. Within the first two months of its release in Bangladesh back in 2015, Sultan Suleiman received the highest TV program ratings in Bangladesh. The channel gained the most TRP ratings. Some people demanded a ban on this serial as viewers lacked interests in watching local dramas, however, keeping all these controversies aside the show still went on. After finishing the series, Deepto TV re-broadcast this massively popular show from June 2, 2019.

In Morocco, the series is called Harim al-Sultan ("The Sultan's Harem"). Many people find it visually and aesthetically enjoyable to watch, but viewers have contrasting opinions of the show's depictions of gender and Ottoman rulers. Many Moroccans stopped watching the show because they did not like the morals it presented.

In Greece, the series has become quite popular for people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and ages. Many Greek viewers enjoyed the visuals and oriental decorations present in the show, as well as the cultural proximity and historical ties between the two countries. It has become so popular that Bishop Anthimos of Thessaloniki and the Golden Dawn party condemned the show and urged Greeks not to watch it. "No one should watch Muhteşem Yüzyıl, The Magnificent Century," Anthimos said. He added, "By watching the Turkish series we are telling them we have surrendered."

In the Republic of North Macedonia, Turkish series have become so popular, that the Macedonian parliament has moved to ban Turkish soaps to reduce the Turkish impact on Macedonian society. Turkish series will gradually be removed and replaced by national programs, according to a 2012 bill authored by Elisabeti Nikolovska who has links to the Macedonian Royal Family.

In Chile where the series is called El Sultán (The Sultan) it is aired since December 14 in Canal 13 on prime time with great success. The Spanish voice of Suleiman is the same as the one of Onur in the Turkish soap opera Las mil y una noches. The series is part of a wave of Turkish soap operas that have become popular in Chilean TV. The series debuted right after the penultimate chapter of Los 80, a popular historical family drama produced by Canal 13.

In Pakistan, the show was named میرا سلطان: داستان جلال و جمال (Mera Sultan: Dastan-e-Jalal-o-Jamal; lit. My Emperor: Story of Bravery and Love) and it aired on channel Geo Kahani. Geo Kahani claims that it was the channel's most popular show and received the highest TRPs. However, the channel faced several controversies and serial got banned few times, but still completed the broadcast due to public pressure. The Pakistani drama industry was adversely affected by the popularity of Turkish dramas, and lead actor Halit Ergenç to win first ever International Icon Award in Pakistan's biggest awards show Lux Style Awards in 2017.

See also

• List of Muhteşem Yüzyıl episodes
• Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem
• Payitaht: Abdülhamid
• Diriliş: Ertuğrul
• List of Islam-related films

References

1. "Turkish scriptwriter, actress Meral Okay passes away". Zaman. 2012-04-09. Archived from the original on 2012-04-15. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
2. ^ Fowler, Suzanne (2011-03-20). "Magnificent Century divides Turkish TV viewers over the life of Süleyman". The Observer. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
3. Media, Septina Arifiani-Solopos Digital. "KING SULEIMAN ANTV : Sukses Hadirkan Bollywood, ANTV Jajal King Suleiman dari Turki". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
4. Hürrem Aur Sultan Archived 2018-01-13 at the Wayback Machine on ATV. December 22, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
5. "Muhtesem Yuzyil "Magnificent Century" takes Turkey by storm". Istanbul View. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
6. Moore, Robbie. "Soap Opera Diplomacy: Turkish TV in Greece". The International. Archived from the original on 15 February 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2013.
7. Batuman, Elif (9 February 2014). "Ottomania: A Hit TV Show Reimagines Turkey's Imperial Past". The New Yorker. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
8. "Xinjiang Authorities Detain Vocalist, Dozens of Others For Watching Turkish TV Series". RFA. 11 November 2020.
9. ^ "Bir dizi, bir saray ve boşa geçirilen zaman". Gazete Vatan (in Turkish). 2013-01-27. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
10. Macar Kralı Layoş, Osmanlı Elçisinin Kellesini Vuruyor! | Muhteşem Yüzyıl, retrieved 2023-10-09
11. "Bu hata dikkatten kaçmadı!". Milliyet (in Turkish). 2011-06-02. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
12. "HÜRREM SULTAN". TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish). Retrieved 2023-10-09.
13. Kimball, Fiske; Philadelphia Museum of Art (1943). Creation of the Rococo. Library Philadelphia Museum of Art.  : Philadelphia Museum of Art.
14. Rohde, David. "In Turkey, Erdogan disrespects dissent". Reuters. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
15. "Turks bewitch the Balkans with their addictive soaps". Balkan Insights. May 2013. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
16. "Turkish TV series enjoys huge popularity in Bangladesh | Weekly Blitz". Retrieved 2021-11-05.
17. "Demand to ban Sultan Suleiman 'a conspiracy'". Dhaka Tribune. 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
18. "'Fatmagul' and 'Sultan Suleiman' to start from June 2". Dhaka Tribune. 2019-06-01. Retrieved 2021-11-05.
19. ^ Özalpman, Deniz; Sarikakis, Katharine (2018-07-11). "The politics of pleasure in global drama: A case study of the TV series, The Magnificent Century (Muhteşem Yüzyıl)". Global Media and Communication. 14 (3): 249–264. doi:10.1177/1742766518780168. ISSN 1742-7665. S2CID 149470051.
20. ^ Greeks tune in to Turkish soap opera, despite critics views, Southeast European Times (SETimes.com), Andy Dabilis and Erisa Dautaj, 10/10/2012
21. ^ Soap Opera Diplomacy: Turkish TV in Greece Archived 2013-02-15 at the Wayback Machine, The International, 12.02.2013
22. Greek metropolitan bishop warns against Turkish series, Hürriyet Daily News, 18.09.2012
23. Macedonia bans Turkish soap operas, Hürriyet Daily News, 14.11.2012
24. La nueva oleada turca: Cinco teleseries se sumarán a la pantalla local, La Tercera.
25. "New Drama Mera Sultan Getting More Popularity In Pakistan". Retrieved 24 August 2016.
26. "Mera Sultan; A Perfect Historic Drama". Archived from the original on 2016-01-25. Retrieved 2015-04-11.
27. Hafsa_Khawaja (16 March 2013). "Pakistan Hit by Fever of Turkey's Popular Cultural Export". Retrieved 24 August 2016.
28. Khan, Sadia (10 January 2014). "It's fun to be young: Top Six Turkish Dramas (dubbed in Urdu)". Retrieved 24 August 2016.
29. "Leap in history: There is more to Ottomans than 'Mera Sultan' - The Express Tribune". 11 November 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
30. "Khara Sach 19 May 2014 Blasphemy By Misinterpreting The Holy Quran in Mera Sultan title". YouTube. 19 May 2014. Archived from the original on 2021-11-18.
31. "From Mera Sultan to Nisa Sultan". Retrieved 30 April 2017.
32. "Some in Pakistan threatened by Turkish TV invasion". AP. 26 November 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
33. "Here's what's going down at the Lux Style Awards 2017 right now [LIVE]". DAWN Images. 19 April 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
34. "Halit Ergenç Pakistan'ı fethetti". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 21 April 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.

External links

• Muhteşem Yüzyıl at IMDb
• Muhteşem Yüzyıl – Official Website
• Muhteşem Yüzyıl Official YouTube channel

• 2011 Turkish television series debuts
• Turkish drama television series
• Cultural depictions of Suleiman the Magnificent
• Television series about the Ottoman Empire
• Serial drama television series
• 2014 Turkish television series endings
• Television series set in the 16th century
• Show TV television dramas
• Star TV (Turkish TV channel) television dramas
• Television series about Islam
• Turkish historical television series
• Television shows set in Istanbul
• Television shows set in Belgrade
• Television series produced in Istanbul
• Television series set in the 2010s
• Turkish television soap operas
• Turkish-language television shows