India: Turkish TV series fan names restaurant Ertugrul

By Muhammet Nazim Tasci

ISLAMABAD (AA) - A Muslim entrepreneur in southern India has named his new restaurant Ertugrul after the lead character of a popular Turkish TV series.

Javid Khan told Anadolu Agency that people in the city of Hyderabad enjoy watching the historical fiction and adventure series.

Often described as a Turkish Game of Thrones, the series tells the story before the establishment of the Ottoman Empire in 13th century Anatolia. It illustrates the struggle of Ertugrul Gazi, the father of the empire's first leader.

On the menu at his restaurant, there are a variety of Arabic dishes but no Turkish delicacy.

He has decorated the place with posters of characters of the series.

The TV series with Urdu dubbing gained a large fan following among Muslims of India, who widely speak and understand the language.

It has passed 10 million subscribers on its Urdu YouTube channel, and has around 15 million subscribers globally across all languages, with over three billion views.

* Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev from Ankara