Paying a tribute to 13th century Muslim Oghuz Turk leader Ertugrul Ghazi, Lahoris have erected his statue along the Multan Road in the Maraghzar Housing Scheme.
The statue was placed after Turkish drama ‘Dirilis (Resurrection) Ertugrul’ that covered the entire life of Oghuz leader received overwhelming response in Pakistan.
Muhammad Shahzad Cheema, the president of the Maraghzar Housing Scheme, said that he decided to erect the statue of Ertugrul after some residents gave the idea of paying him a tribute.
Read more: Ertugrul Ghazi breaks popularity record, PM’s idea revives PTV
The special statue has been made by using fibre and metal in the city of Kamalia of Toba Tek Singh district.
What is Dirilis Ertugrul?
The popular Turkish serial, ‘Dirilis Ertugrul’, (Resurrection Ertugrul) also referred by fans as ‘Turkish Game of Thrones‘ took the international audience by storm with Venezuelan President also turning out to be its follower. The serial was first aired in Turkey in 2014. Within Turkey, its part of AKP’s nation-building project and is perhaps the most popular tv production in recent years. However, it is widely popular across the Muslim world and the Middle East -despite a recent ban in Egypt and Gulf countries where it is being seen as part of the AKP’s quest to revive Ottoman empire.
There are five seasons of Dirilis Ertugrul – Only the first three seasons were released on Netflix the global video streaming platform. Within Turkey season-5 may be released soon. Ertugrul is a historic romantic fiction serial about a Turkish nomadic leader, Ertugrul, in 13th century, who is supposedly the father of Osman – the founder of the majestic Ottoman Empire.
It is a serialized tv production by Turkish Radio and TV (TRT-1) and was first broadcast in December 2014. Given its huge popularity, it kept increasing its episodes. The exact number is not known because Turkish episodes were often of two-hour duration, but Netflix cut it to 42-45 minutes per episode and most sources describe a total of 150 episodes – however, given that 5th Season is about to be released the actual number may be much bigger.
A short video clip of Imran Khan from the interview has been released by the office of the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Twitter in which he said serials like Dirilis Ertugrul will revive the forgotten Islamic traditions, values, and struggles faced by previous nations.
Why Ertugrul Ghazi is so popular in Turkey?
Dirilis Ertugrul has far-reaching popularity with audiences in 60 countries in South America, the Middle East, and South Africa. Series was written and produced by Mehmet Bozdug and directed by Metin Gunay from 2014 onwards. The theme music is by Alpay Goktekin. To help with choreography production teams from Hollywood were invited to Turkey. Serial has been shot in Riva, Turkey where a special set was produced for this purpose.
Read more: Imran Khan wanted Dirilis Ertugrul in Urdu language: PTV offered its service
In each episode, the Turkish producers disseminate both spiritual and life lessons by allowing principal characters to talk directly about moral dilemmas and their resolution.
A strong emphasis has been placed on the Muslim scholars, and Islamic jurisprudence bringing out unique and well-thought solutions to the complex problems faced by the characters. The solutions are based on the life of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and Hazrat Ali as they are considered patrons and guides by the Turkish founders of the Ottoman empire.
What did Imran Khan say?
“We’ve always had content from Hollywood and Bollywood which was then being showcased here. A third end culture was being promoted. That’s why I want our youth to know the difference between our values and theirs through the serial Dirilis Ertugrul.
He went on to add, “We have a culture with romance and history as well, however, it is also filled with Islamic values. Sadly, the content from Bollywood is full of vulgarity, which wasn’t the case three or four decades ago.”
The premiere continued, “Drug culture, sex crimes are on a high. I want a different culture to be aired so our youth can know that there is a way of life apart from questionable shows that have been airing.”
Read more: Imran Khan’s favorite Turkish drama to be soon aired on PTV
Online Int’l News with additional input by GVS News Des