Is Netflix’s Midnight At The Pera Palace based on a true story? Explained

Netflix's Midnight At The Pera Palace is a Turkish series that was first released on Netflix in March 2022. The story revolves around journalist Esra, played by Hazal Kaya. She discovers a time travel portal at the Pera Palace Hotel while working on a piece about the establishment.

One night, Esra unknowingly travels back in time to 1919. She's mistaken for Peride, a Turkish woman who lived during this period. Furthermore, she bore a striking resemblance to her.

Consequently, Esra becomes involved in a crucial moment in Turkey's history and must ensure that the country's path to independence is not compromised.

While the time travel aspects of the story are fictional, Midnight At The Pera Palace is otherwise based on real historical events. The Pera Palace Hotel exists in real life, and the series was inspired by the non-fictional historical book Midnight At The Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul, written by Charles King.

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Midnight At The Pera Palace is based on real events

The Netflix adaptation of Midnight At The Pera Palace fictionalizes the story of Turkey's independence but is based on real-life historical events that defined the country.

The series is set against the historical backdrop of modern Turkey's first president and influential revolutionary, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He stayed at the Pera Palace during pivotal moments in Turkey's history, adding depth to the storyline.

Midnight At The Pera Palace season 1 follows Esra's attempts to thwart an assassination plot against Atatürk after she travels back in time. This is because his survival is critical to ensuring Turkey's eventual independence.

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk was born in 1881 while Turkey was under the yoke of the Ottoman Empire.

When he was seven years old, his father passed away and his mother pushed him to learn a trade. However, Atatürk defied her wishes and secretly joined the military. He first attended the Monastir Military High School and then the Ottoman Military Academy.

Atatürk gained prominence during his military career at the onset of the First World War. He led the Ottoman Empire to victory in the 1915 Battle of Gallipoli.

After the end of the First World War, he became a key figure in Turkey's nationalist movement. He organized a resistance against the Allied powers, who sought to divide Turkey among themselves following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

Mustafa Ataturk's room in the Pera Palace has since become a museum (Image via Pera Palace)

His efforts to establish Turkish independence eventually led to a war with the Allied forces after Atatürk established a provisional government in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

Following his victory in the Turkish War of Independence, Atatürk abolished the sultanate and established a secular state for Turkey in the early 1920s. He then served as the first President of the Turkish Republic from 29 October 1923 to 10 November 1938.

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Midnight At The Pera Palace season 2 explores history beyond Turkey's independence

In season 1, Midnight At The Pera Palace explores Turkey's historical foundations through a fictional time travel plot. The second season will broaden its scope by having Esra time travel to the 1940s to explore other aspects of history.

A preview of Midnight At The Pera Palace season 2 shows Esra to be in Germany during the 1940s, back when the Nazi regime was in power and the country was fighting the Second World War. The official synopsis for the season reads:

“In 1995, after finding her own photograph as a baby taken in the 1940s, Esra decides to go back to the 1940s to discover who her mother and family are. Despite Ahmet's warnings not to tamper with time, Esra and Ahmet find themselves in 1941.”

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Midnight At The Pera Palace is currently streaming on Netflix.