Director: Emir Khalilzadeh
Twelfth-century conflict over Jerusalem forms the backdrop for Kudus Fatihi Selahaddin Eyyubi, a Turkish historical series tracing the military campaigns and political maneuvering of the Muslim ruler Salahuddin.
What is Kudus Fatihi Selahaddin Eyyubi about?
The series follows Salahuddin's rise as a 12th-century ruler navigating fractured territories across Syria, northern Mesopotamia, Palestine, and Egypt, and his effort to bring those regions under a single, unified leadership. Alongside the political consolidation, the story tracks his prolonged conflict with Crusader forces contesting control of the region, presenting battles, alliances, and shifting loyalties as part of a larger struggle over Jerusalem. The narrative balances large-scale military campaigns with the personal costs of leadership, showing Salahuddin weighing loyalty, strategy, and the demands of holding together territories that do not always want to be held together. Costume, staging, and battle sequences aim for the scale associated with historical epics, while the season-long arc keeps returning to the central question of what unification actually requires from the people asked to deliver it.
Cast & crew
Uğur Güneş takes on the role of Salahuddin, leading an ensemble that includes Dilin Döğer, Mehmet Ali Nuroğlu, Murat Han, Kaan Çakır, Hakan Vanlı, Tuvana Türkay, and Ekin Türkmen across the political and military figures surrounding the campaign.
Context & significance
Directed by Emir Khalilzadeh, Kudus Fatihi Selahaddin Eyyubi premiered in 2023 as part of a broader trend of Turkish-produced historical epics dramatizing medieval history for a wide television audience. The production leans on large-scale sets and battle choreography typical of the genre, framing its 12th-century setting through the lens of territorial unification and military conflict rather than doctrine. At roughly two and a half hours per installment, the series gives its campaigns and councils room to unfold at a deliberate, expansive pace.
Where & how to watch
Kudus Fatihi Selahaddin Eyyubi streams on K-Time with Persian dubbing and Persian subtitles, letting Farsi-speaking viewers pick whichever format suits them. Watching the series requires logging into a K-Time account, while the page describing it remains open to read without one, part of a Farsi-first viewing experience built for the Iranian diaspora.