Zerda (2002–2004)
Zerda is a Turkish drama series broadcast on atv, first aired in 2002–2004. The love between Zerda and Şahin is tested by family pressure, custom and the conflicts created by a polygamous household.
Zerda cast: Barış Çakmak (Osman), Birsen Dürülü (Saliha Gelim).
Detailed content was compiled from sources with AI; pending editorial review. Editor: Uğur Arı.
Plot
The series follows Zerda, a courageous and strong-willed woman, and Şahin, the wealthy son of a powerful family and a local agha. Şahin has been required by custom to marry his deceased brother’s widow. After Zerda and Şahin fall in love and marry, Zerda refuses to live with him without a civil marriage. Pressure to have a child turns into accusations that Zerda is infertile, and Şahin’s mother arranges another religious marriage for him. The resulting household places Zerda, Şahin, his mother, his nephew and the other wives in a conflict between love, family authority and custom.
Origins of the story
Adaptation status
The broadcaster credits the story to Senay Ülkü and does not identify a source novel, book, film or other adapted work. No verified adaptation source was found.
Connection to reality
The series dramatizes social practices associated with custom and patriarchal family structures, but no verified source establishes that it is based on specific real events or real people.
Trailer
Details
- Year
- 2002–2002
- Channel
- atv
- Genre
- drama
- Seasons
- 2
- Episodes
- 1
- Rating
- 6.8
Cast
Character Map
Hero
- ↳ Şahin — spouse
What's in this series?
Adaptation status
The broadcaster credits the story to Senay Ülkü and the screenplay to Gaye Boralıoğlu, Neşe Şen and Sertaç Ergin. Since the official listing does not identify another literary or audiovisual source, Zerda is classified as an original television story rather than a verified adaptation.
Custom and polygamous marriage
An academic study reads the series through practices such as marriage to a deceased brother’s widow, pressure to produce a male child, blaming a woman for childlessness and permitting a man to marry multiple women. It presents Zerda as a woman who sometimes resists this order and Şahin as a man caught between love and custom.
Production and writing team
The production was undertaken by Erol Avcı for TMC Film and directed by Kudret Sabancı. The broadcaster credits the story to Senay Ülkü and the screenplay to Gaye Boralıoğlu, Neşe Şen and Sertaç Ergin. A broadcaster archive article identifies the music with Kıraç.
The screenwriter’s account of social impact
In a 2004 interview, Gaye Boralıoğlu described Zerda as a story of a woman struggling within a circle of tradition and said that, during visits to the region, she had personally observed some women turning more toward education and work after the series. She also stated that she had no statistics; this is therefore presented as her personal observation, not as a verified causal effect.
Frequently asked questions
How many episodes is Zerda?
Zerda has 1 episodes across 2 seasons.
When did Zerda air?
Zerda first aired in 2002–2004 on atv.
Who is in the cast of Zerda?
The main cast includes Barış Çakmak (Osman), Birsen Dürülü (Saliha Gelim).
Sources
- Zerda Hakkında — atv
- Töreye Yer Veren Televizyon Dizilerinin İncelenmesi — İstanbul Üniversitesi
- Gaye Boralıoğlu röportajı — Pazartesi Dergisi
- Zerda atv web tv’de! — atv
