Resurrection Ertuğrul: From Aleppo to Söğüt

In season 1 of Diriliş: Ertuğrul, the Kayı tribe's leader Süleyman Şah sends his son Ertuğrul to Aleppo to ask its emir for land. Trouble follows at once, with plots against the tribe at the emir's court. The citadel pin marks the city's medieval fortified palace, not a filming site: the show's Aleppo, with its palace and bazaar, was built as sets in Istanbul, around Beykoz and Riva.

Location precision: The series never names a single Aleppo building and built its Aleppo on sets in Istanbul; the pin marks the Citadel of Aleppo.

The first season closes with a goodbye. Süleyman Şah dies, and under his will the tribe sets out for Erzurum. Real history was grim here: Erzurum fell to a Mongol siege in 1242 and was looted and devastated. The pin marks the modern city centre, since the show does not tie the migration to one site.

Location precision: The tribe's route and camp in Erzurum are not tied to one site; the pin marks the city centre.

Season 4 builds to a showdown with the Mongol commander Noyan, a battle the show says is historically known as Köse Dağ, after which the Kayı move to Söğüt. The real battle was a Mongol victory over the Seljuk sultan's army on 26 June 1243 in eastern Anatolia. The series fits the Kayı into that story; the history comes from the battle itself.

Location precision: The exact battlefield is uncertain; the pin follows the coordinates given for the battle and marks only the general area.

Season 5 opens after ten years in Söğüt, in a Seljuk state now controlled by the Mongols, where Ertuğrul faces Mongol commanders. History agrees on the importance of the place: Ertuğrul was granted the town on the Byzantine frontier, and Söğüt is regarded as the founding location and first capital of the Ottoman Empire, from 1281 to 1335. Today it is a small town where the Söğüt Ethnographical Museum shows Ottoman history and life-size statues of the Ottoman sultans.

Location precision: The pin marks the centre of Söğüt, the town the series and history name, not a single site in it.

Visitor guidance: Söğüt Ethnographical Museum has Ottoman history displays and statues of the sultans.

In season 5, the Byzantine commander Dragos kills the innocent Tekfur Yannis and takes control of Lefke Castle, adding to Ertuğrul's troubles around Söğüt. Lefke is the older name of today's Osmaneli, known in antiquity as Leukai. The pin marks the town, not a verified castle site.

Location precision: The series castle is not tied to a surveyed ruin in the sources used; the pin marks the town of Osmaneli.