Hareem Al Sultan: The Exhibition is the closest any of us will ever get to pose with the heartthrob of the popular OSN show: Bali Bey.
At least it’s a very good likeness of the Ottoman soldier and army commander, in the form of a silicon figure. He is one of 13 silicon representations of show’s favorite and famous characters, with each taking about three months to make, their craftsmen painstakingly nailing the tiniest of details such as nails, veins, skin tone and eye colors, hair and even wrinkles. Their clothes are handmade, with the makeup artists and hairdressers from the show supervising work on exhibition to ensure they are faithful to the original actors.
Rightfully in his place, the dashing Bali Bey stands guard outside the royal rooms of the Sultan, Sutlanas, Pashas and concubines. Due to his popularity, the organizer has allowed visitors to the exhibition to get close to him, touch him and take a photo or even make a Snapchat video with him.
Because this is a Turkish show dubbed into Arabic, most Arab fans don’t even actually know the actor’s real name (Burak Ozcivit), and if they spotted the actor, would probably call out to him by his character’s name.
According to media reports, all the stars of the hit Turkish period drama are regularly get accosted by fans who want to pose with the “Sultan”, “Sultana,” and or in this case, warrior Bey.
A friend who spotted the actor who played the lead role, Sultan Sulieman, called out to him in the middle of a busy street in Istanbul with “Oh Sultan! Sultan Sulieman.”
The actor, whose name is Halit Ergenc, didn’t seem to mind. He smiled and waved – even agreeing to take a photo with her.
As for the real Bali Bey, of history, his full name is Malkoçoğlu Balı Bey (1495–1548). Although he also served as a governor, he distinguished himself at the Battle of Mohacs (1526), in the kingdom of Hungry. The Malkocoglu Bali-bey mosque was built between 1543 and 1565, and reconstructed into its original form by local authorities and the Turkish government in 1994. It is a real tourist attraction in the Hungarian city Siklos.
Fans can also take selfies with any of the other figures appearing in the exhibition, although Hurrem Sultana the most popular. I was just happy to finally “meet” Bali Bey, who I always knew was tall as I imagined him to be.
• Open daily from 12pm to 10pm, until end of the year, Hareem Al Sultan: The Exhibition is at the City Walk, Dubai. Ticket price is Dh100 until end of April, increasing to Dh150 in May. www.ticketmaster.ae
rghazal@thenational.ae
