The facts of life are that a child who has seen war cannot be compared with a child who doesn't know what war is except from television - Sophia Loren
This is what television is - the glamorization of a story, with all the seemingly small but important details removed. It is an art form, a way of expression of the imagination, the colloboration of several people - like a giant mural, telling a story.
And despite how much we say "it is only fiction" - the effect of it on our perceptions of reality are great.
Muhtesem Yuzyil - a show about the "magnificent" reign of Suleyman the Magnificent, or Kanuni, The lawmaker, and his life as Sultan and his relationships with those around him - is a glamorized, fictionalized drama based loosely on the real Sultan Suleyman. The show has generated a great deal of controversy - and strangely, continues to be watched by most of not only Turkish television viewers- but many foreign followers as well. In it's second season, it is now making its debut in Slovakia and other places where there have been many who eagerly watched the show online, despite having no knowledge of Turkish.
Many have complained about the depictions and the story line as being insulting to one of the Ottomans most famous and revered Sultans, an icon whose importance in both Ottoman and Western history is undeniable.
With all its precautions that the show is "fictional" - it is clear, that it has the potentional to have a huge impact on how people view the histORY behind it.
This blog is born out of a sincere interest in the history behind the show - who was Suleyman the Magnificent? What sort of person was he according to history? And who were the Ottomans anyway? How come we rarely learn about them in our history classes? How can we come to a better understanding of an important historical figure, an important aspect of world history, an important culture and civilization and purely for the sake of understanding and knowledge?
It is important for everyone to study great historical figures. Why? Because it sheds light on who we are as human beings. Through understanding great, just rulers, whose hands were not full of the blood of innocent peoples, who helped the poor, the weak, we gain a better understanding of what it is to be a good human. Our world is severly lacking something the old world used to have - Heroes. Heroes who, though having power and wealth, used this to better the lands under their control, and whose courage and fairness is the subject of many a song and story.
