13 October 2022 07:30
This was not shown in the famous series.
Thanks to the tape, fans of the TV series “The Magnificent Age” know quite well the history of the Ottoman Empire at the time of Suleiman the Magnificent. And that’s not surprising, because the vast majority of heroes are real-life individuals whose behavior has been studied and recorded by more than a hundred researchers and historians.
Among these heroes was Gulfem Khatun, one of the Sultan’s concubines, played by the talented actress Selen Ozturk. But the writers of The Magnificent Century, in order not to distract the public’s attention from the ups and downs of the relationship between Suleiman and Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska, have deliberately pushed the figure of Gulfem into the background. Meanwhile, historians seriously argue that it was Gulfem who was the Sultan’s favorite for a long time.
It was to her that Suleiman dedicated poems that he wrote himself, and it was to her that he presented a beautiful rose garden, which Gulfem personally took care of. And when the flowers died from the frost, the padishah sent her beloved one a handmade jewel in the shape of tears that she shed when she grieved for the roses.
Unfortunately, soon after, Suleiman turned his back on Gulfem Khatun. This happened after their son Mahmud died of an illness. Grieved by Shekhzade’s death, the Sultan stopped noticing Gulfem and soon lost his prominent place in both Suleiman’s harem and his heart forever.
