It begins with a ship voyage to Istanbul, where a young woman is being transported as a captured slave.
A look inside a replica hull of the ship – in which several female slaves are being held – marks the beginning of Hareem Al Sultan: The Exhibition.
This new exhibition, at Dubai's City Walk, is a celebration of the popular television drama, Hareem Al Sultan.
Loosely based on the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, the 16th-century Ottoman sultan, the programme’s four-season run – from 2011 to 2014 – was an immediate hit with regional viewers.
Dubbed in the Syrian dialect and broadcast on OSN, the lavish costume drama can be best described as a blend of Downton Abbey's splendour, mixed with the drama and political intrigue of Game of Thrones.
Fans now have a chance to relive the thrills and highlights of the TV show, and get a taste of the time period in which it is set.
"It is the full experience, where all the senses get to relive what it must have been like on the set of Hareem Al Sultan," says Riham Abudaqa, the exhibition's project director.
“You can see the original items, costumes and props from the show and you can touch some of the decor and accessories in designated sections.
“You can even get to eat some of the Turkish sweets as they would have been eaten then when you visit the royal kitchen.”
The event is also quite an aromatic affair. You get to smell the distinct scents of each room, from the musky humidity inside the ship to the fresh olive-oil soap fragrance of the traditional Hamam, and the amber and lavender of the Sutlan’s private bedroom.
Meanwhile, you hear the smooth recitation of poems written by Sultan Sulieman wafting gently from the speakers.
Across an area of 1.3 square meters, a dozen rooms and 13 silicon figures of the show’s most important characters – there is a lot to see.
“You must take your time in each room, look around carefully, listen to the audio guide through headphones as you walk through, and just enjoy your trip back in time,” says Abudaqa.
The exhibition is another example of how Hareem Al Sultan reinvigorated an interest in the Ottoman Empire's golden age, during which Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (played by Halit Ergenç) reigned for 46 years (from 1520 to 1566).
The drama’s dramatic hook, and the subject of endless fan chatter, is the love story between him and Hürrem Sultana (portrayed by Meryem Uzerli), that young slave in the ship who was destined to become his first legal wife.
Born Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska (her last name is also sometimes given as Roxelana) in the town of Rohatyn in what was then the Kingdom of Poland and is now part of western Ukraine – she gave birth to five of Suleiman’s children – including the future Sultan Selim II.
The TV adaptation of the lives inspired a cult following, reviving interest in everything Ottoman – from cuisine and fashion to music, poetry, art and history.
Women, especially brides, wanted to dress like sultanas, and some men even grew beards and adopted the taciturn attitudes displayed by the sultans.
Part of the success of the show is undoubtedly down to the lavish clothing and set designs, along with the controversial – and often completely fictional – drama, scheming, intrigue and scandals enacted by the impressive cast.
With so much fascinating material and history to exploit, the producers also created a spin-off show, Kösem Sultan, which premièred on OSN in January this year.
Starring Beren Saat in the title role, the drama follows the life of Kösem Sultan, who lived from 1590 to 1651 and was a former Greek slave who went from being a concubine to marrying Sultan Ahmet (1590 to 1617). The same exacting attention to detail seen in both of the TV productions has been brought into the Dubai exhibition: more than 100 costumes, including elaborately embroidered caftans, and hundreds of small accessories and props are spread across the rooms.
They are all rendered in a dimly-lit, cozy ambience through the use of 180 candles, 115 chandeliers and 92 oil lamps, in addition to 240 special LED light fittings.
After the initial introduction with the ship, visitors make their way to the souq (where Sultan Sulieman often disguised himself to discover the word on the street), to the gate guarded by commander Bali Bey and “the harem” rooms filled with silicon figurines.
The royal kitchen is next, where visitors meet another favourite character – the palace’s chief cook, Sheker Agha.
Visitors can also step into the Has Oda, the privy chamber, where only the most trusted entourage members were allowed. It was in this room that TV viewers watched the Sultan fall in love with his feisty bride.
One can’t help leaving the exhibition with the feeling of having experienced a slice of Ottoman history and feeling nostalgic for a golden age.
• Hareem Al Sultan: The Exhibition is open daily from 12pm to 10pm at the City Walk, Dubai, until the end of the year. Tickets cost Dh100 until the end of April before increasing to Dh150 from www.ticketmaster.ae
rghazal@thenational.ae
