A monument of Ertuğrul Ghazi was recently taken down in Turkey for bearing resemblance to actor Engin Altan Düzyatan, who played the character of Ertuğrul in the hit series, instead of the Muslim hero himself.
People living in the area and social media users noticed the resemblance, following which an investigation has been launched to figure out what happened.
“We were disturbed by the fact that the bust of Ertuğrul Gazi resembles Engin Altan Düzyatan, the leading actor in the Resurrection Ertuğrul series and the same day the bust in question was removed,” said the municipality in a written statement.
“The necessary investigation has been initiated about those responsible for negligence. We thank all the public for the sensitivity they have shown,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, The Current did some research and found a painting of what the real Ertugrul might have looked like.
Ertuğrul Ghazi led a small band of warriors under the leadership of Anatolian Seljuk sultan in the mid-13th century. With his death in 1280, the leadership of his small tribe passed onto his son Osman, who is known to have established the Ottoman state in 1299.
Ertuğrul Gazi’s life has been very popular in Turkey. and it has not only taken Turkey but many countries, especially Pakistan recently, by storm.
According to the state-run Pakistan Television (PTV), 133 million people have so far watched the historical series based on his life from April 25- May 14. Also, its episodes are trending on YouTube and Netflix Pakistan every day.
