Founder: Orhan (2025)
Founder: Orhan is a Turkish drama, action, historical series broadcast on atv, first aired in 2025. A historical drama centered on Orhan Bey after Osman Gazi, depicting his struggle over Bursa and the surrounding Byzantine territories, conflicts within the Kayı community, and the transformation of a growing frontier principality into a state. The series was presented as a continuation of Kuruluş Osman and premiered on ATV on October 29, 2025.
Founder: Orhan cast: Mert Yazıcıoğlu (Orhan), Mahassine Merabet (Nilüfer Hatun), Alina Boz (Princess Asporça), Barış Falay (Şahinşah), Burak Sergen (Tekfur Saroz), Bennu Yıldırımlar (Malhun Hatun).
Detailed content was compiled from sources with AI; pending editorial review. Editor: Uğur Arı.
Plot
Kuruluş Orhan follows Orhan Bey after the period of Osman Gazi’s state-building struggle. Orhan faces Byzantine powers around Bursa and İznik while also dealing with political tensions within the Kayı community, disagreements with his brother Alaeddin Bey, and rival power calculations. His relationship with Nilüfer Hatun develops alongside his family ties to Osman Bey and Malhun Hatun. The series dramatizes both Orhan’s military identity and his effort to govern an expanding principality and turn conquest into a lasting state order. According to ATV’s programme records, the series premiered on October 29, 2025 and concluded with its 26th episode on June 10, 2026.
Origins of the story
Adaptation status
No official source located in this research identifies the series as an adaptation of a specific novel, book, film, play or other work. It is treated as an original historical television drama based on a historical period and figure.
Connection to reality
The series is set against the historical context of Orhan Bey, identified in historical sources as Osman Gazi’s son and the second ruler of the Ottoman dynasty. Bursa, İznik, conflict with Byzantium and the formation of early state institutions form part of this context. The official sources do not claim that every event in the drama follows historical records exactly.
Trailer
Details
- Year
- 2025–2026
- Channel
- atv
- Genre
- drama, action, historical
- Seasons
- 1
- Episodes
- 26
- Rating
- 8.0
Cast
Character Map
Hero
- ↳ Nilüfer Hatun — spouse
- ↳ Osman Bey — parent
- ↳ Alaeddin Bey — sibling
- ↳ Şahinşah — enemy
- ↳ Flavius — enemy
- ↳ Cerkutay Bey — ally
- ↳ Boran Bey — ally
Villain
Antagonist
Supporting
- ↳ Malhun Hatun — spouse
What's in this series?
Historical connection to the reign of Orhan Bey
Historical reference works identify Orhan Bey as the son of Osman Gazi and the second ruler of the Ottoman dynasty. Expansion centered on Bursa, the capture of İznik, conflict with Byzantium and the formation of early state institutions are associated with his period. The series’ Bursa- and Byzantine-centered framework relates to this background, but its personal conflicts should not automatically be treated as historical records.
From Kuruluş Osman to the Orhan period
ATV presented Kuruluş Orhan as a new period following Kuruluş Osman, moving from Osman Gazi’s state-building struggle to Sultan Orhan’s statecraft, conquest ideal and founding determination. Mehmet Bozdağ is credited with the production and screenplay, Bülent İşbilen as director, and Mert Yazıcıoğlu stars as Orhan Bey.
The boundary between history and dramatic fiction
Official sources do not identify the series as an adaptation of a named literary work. It should therefore be treated as an original television screenplay using historical figures and settings. Establishing one-to-one correspondences between the historical life of Orhan Bey and the series’ alliances, enmities and personal conflicts would require scene- or episode-level research.
Broadcast period and finale
According to ATV’s programme records, the series premiered on October 29, 2025 and ended with its 26th episode on June 10, 2026. The broadcaster described the finale as completing the narrative that began with Kuruluş Osman.
Frequently asked questions
How many episodes is Founder: Orhan?
Founder: Orhan has 26 episodes across 1 seasons.
When did Founder: Orhan air?
Founder: Orhan first aired in 2025 on atv.
Who is in the cast of Founder: Orhan?
The main cast includes Mert Yazıcıoğlu (Orhan), Mahassine Merabet (Nilüfer Hatun), Alina Boz (Princess Asporça), Barış Falay (Şahinşah), Burak Sergen (Tekfur Saroz), Bennu Yıldırımlar (Malhun Hatun).
Sources
- Kuruluş Orhan Dizisi Oyuncuları - Dizi Kadrosu — atv
- Televizyon ekranlarına yeni bir destan: Kuruluş Orhan geliyor — atv
- Kuruluş hikayesi tamamlandı! — atv
- Kuruluş Orhan yeni sezon ilk bölümüyle 29 Ekim Çarşamba atv’de! — atv
- Kuruluş Orhan 4. Bölüm — atv
- Kuruluş Orhan 17. Bölüm — atv
- Orhan — TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi
- Orhan Bey dönemi ve erken Osmanlı kurumları — TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi
