Breaking all the records of traditional drama shows, Dirilis Ertugrul has set new standards for the historic genre, which also countered the popular Islamaphobic portrayal of Muslims in mainstream entertainment.
We all started with Ertugrul’s journey of finding a homeland for his tribe to achieving great feats in defending his people from the Mongol invasion led by “Noyan” and establishing justice and the divine order in new lands which only saw persecution and oppression earlier.
Ertugrul’s famous call for “Justice until the end, Liberty until the end” and his promise when he said, “I will secure justice and spread fear to the persecutors” sparked our emotions with righteousness and Ibn Arabi’s preachings inspired us to achieve whatever we want when he said, “You should talk about your dreams, not your troubles, son.”
After watching Ertugrul, if you are obsessed with the historic genre of dramas, we have compiled a list of such five more historic shows/movie suggestions for you.
1. Payitaht: Abdul Hamid
This show showcases all the important events that marked the last 13 years of the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid, including the Greek War which resulted in the victory of the Ottoman empire. The show also covers the contributions of Indians in building the great Hijaz railway when the Sultan needed money after having his resources drained because of successive wars.
It was poor Indians who sent over their ancestral jewellery and money collected from various parts of India. The show also depicted how the Sultan helped Indians fight against the Britishers by providing Indian revolutionaries with weapons, intel, maps/locations, and the great Ottoman Flag of the Caliphate which Indians waved at the British army base after defeating them.
2. Mehmet Kutlu Zafer
Mehmet Kutlu Zafer is a historic legendary war story that is based on the First World War. What else can history fans ask for? It is the story of Mehmet and his friends in the falling Ottoman state preparing for the First World War. Alongside Mehmet’s struggle for the legendary Kut’ul Amare Victory and his life-long contribution to his state, his love story is also portrayed in the show where he falls in love with Zeynep, it is a love story that would leave the likes of Romeo and Juliet behind.
3. Yunus Emre
This show features Yunus Emre’s thirst for knowledge and passion for learning and his struggle and hardship to become a dervish. It is based on the times of the Mongol invasion during the 13th century and Yunus Emre’s journey across Anatolia to seek knowledge. After joining Taptuk Emre’s dergâh (dervish monastery), he proceeds to follow his journey of becoming a dervish.
4. Filinta
Filinta is a perfect show if you like the historic genre added with suspense and thrill. Based on 19th century Istanbul during the era of the Ottoman Empire, the story revolves around a detective named Mustafa who is a local police officer. He falls in love with the daughter of a wealthy merchant who conspires against him. The story paces up when he has to prove his innocence and further he fights and protects his empire from freemason powers.
5. Omar series
This show is a depiction of one of the greatest leaders ever known to mankind and one of the four rightly guided caliphs, the liberator of Jerusalem and protector of the weak, known for his righteousness and wisdom, Omar Al Farooq.
The story goes through the Meccan victory, the death of Muhamad (peace be upon him), Abu Bakr’s legacy as caliph and his death, and finally Omar’s legacy of his own caliphate till his martyrdom through assassination by Abu Lulu. The excellent depiction of historic events has been verified by various historians as authentic and despite criticism, the show has received support from many influential scholars who said: “there is nothing wrong in watching this show”.
