18.07.2026 10:10
In the series "Mehmed: Sultan of Conquests," the portrayal of the Yarkand Khanate being established after the death of Fatih Sultan Mehmed, the hosting of poet Ali Shir Navai at the court, and the line "Chinese men will become our slaves, our girls will become concubines" caused a crisis. Mahmut Yakup from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region stated that the dialogues were false and degrading, and sent an official notice to TRT General Manager Muhammed Ziyad Varol, the producer, and the screenwriter via the China Legal Bureau.
The series 'Mehmed: Conquerors of Conquests,' which meets viewers on TRT 1, sparked an international crisis due to historical errors and dialogues in its 66th episode. The portrayal of a delegation from the Yarkand Khanate, which had not yet been established during the reign of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, and the hosting of Ali Shir Navai, who has no historical connection to it, along with anti-China statements in the scene, drew reactions from the Beijing administration and the Uyghur Turks in the region. Following these developments, an official notice was sent to the TRT management and the production company.
WAS A HISTORICAL ERROR MADE?
In the latest aired episode, Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror, who sat on the Ottoman throne between 1451 and 1481, is shown meeting with a delegation from the Yarkand Khanate, which was established in 1514 (33 years after Fatih's death). Moreover, the famous poet and statesman Ali Shir Navai, who has no historical ties to Yarkand, is depicted as the spokesperson for this delegation.
THE "SLAVE AND CONCUBINE" DIALOGUE THAT STIRRED CHINA
In the scene aired between the 43rd and 50th minutes of the episode, Ali Shir Navai, claiming to be from the Yarkand Khanate in East Turkestan, turns to Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror and utters the following words, leading to a crisis: "China, with its power, has decided to turn our men into slaves and our girls into concubines. There is only fear there."
These statements drew significant backlash from communities living in the People's Republic of China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region and the Beijing administration.
LEGAL PROCESS HAS BEGUN
Despite the legal disclaimer at the beginning of the episode stating, "This story and characters are fictionalized inspired by history," Mahmut Yakup, a Uyghur Turk living in the Uyghur Autonomous Region, resorted to legal action, claiming that false, degrading, and insulting statements were made against his community and the Chinese people.
After Yakup authorized the Chinese Law Office, the law office prepared the official notice file.
Names Who Received the Notice:
- Muhammed Ziyad Varol (TRT General Manager)
- TRT General Directorate
- Miray Production
- Eyüp Gökhan Özekin (Producer)
- Ozan Bodur (Screenwriter)
Following this diplomatic and historical crisis in the series, it became a matter of curiosity what step TRT and the production company would take regarding the scene and whether the series' broadcast schedule would be affected.