Turkish series Resurrection: Ertugrul to start season 5

By Ahmet Salih Alacaci

ANKARA

Drawing international acclaim, Resurrection: Ertugrul, an action-packed historical Turkish television series will premier for the fifth season on Wednesday.

The series will be available for its local and foreign followers.

Taking place in 13th century Anatolia, it tells the story of the period prior to the establishment of the Ottoman Empire around the life of Ertugrul Gazi, father of the empire's first leader.

The series illustrates the struggle of Ertugrul and his warriors against a plethora of adversaries from the Knights Templar to Mongol invaders.

First aired in December 2014 on Turkey’s state-run broadcaster TRT, the series has gathered a wide following inside Turkey, becoming the channel's most popular TV series to date.

International praise for Turkish television

Turkey is one of the top five series-exporting countries in the world, enthralling audiences from Latin America to Central Asia.

Dozens of Turkish series are being followed by more than 500 million viewers in over 150 countries, according to Turkey's Culture Ministry.

Resurrection: Ertugrul has attracted particular acclaim with viewers from over 70 countries.

Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro had expressed his admiration for the show during a visit to Turkey in May, 2018, with the daily el Universal describing it as the story of "struggle, ambition and love".

Turkey has made strides in international media with the establishment of non-Turkish channels such as TRT World, and Turkish cinema being aired in top film festivals from Cannes and Berlin to Toronto.

The 6th Bosphorus Film Festival, which recently concluded in Turkey's Istanbul, garnered participation from over 40 countries.