Salve Jorge ("Hail Jorge", in english) was a very popular prime-time telenovela produced by TV Globo and broadcast in Brazil from late 2012 to May 2013. A significant part of the story was set in Turkey, especially Istanbul and Cappadocia, and part of the series was actually filmed there. The TV show had a huge audience and was very successful like the previous soap opera - [Avenida Brasil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenida_Brasil_(TV_series)). Salve Jorge was also exhibited to many countries such as Portugal, Sao Tomé and Príncipe, Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Russia, Albania, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Côte d'Ivoire, Peru, North Macedonia, Mexico, Georgia (no pun intended), Mongolia, Paraguay, Armenia, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and many other countries.

The main plot followed Morena, a young Brazilian woman who is deceived by a human-trafficking network with the promise of work abroad and is taken to Turkey. So the series dealt with a very serious and dark subject. At the same time, however, there was an entirely different side of the show dedicated to Turkish characters, families, traditions, food, landscapes and everyday life.

The name of the telenovela came from [Saint George of Lydda](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_George) \- in portuguese "São Jorge" or "Jorge da Capadócia (George of Cappadocia)". The people from the favela where Morena lives are devouted of Saint George, and the saint itself is one of the most famous saints in Brazil (Brazil have the largest catholic population on earth, after all).

For many Brazilians, especially those who had never had much contact with Turkey before, the novela was probably their first sustained exposure to the country. Istanbul, Cappadocia, the Bosphorus, Turkish food, tea, the evil-eye amulet (nazar boncuğu), carpets, music and other elements of Turkish culture suddenly became very familiar in Brazilian popular culture. 

It also seems to have had a tourism effect. At the time, [brazilian tourists to Turkey increased 50% in late 2012-early 2013](https://f5.folha.uol.com.br/televisao/1269126-salve-jorge-impulsiona-brasileiros-na-turquia-mas-nao-turbina-cursos-da-lingua.shtml). Travel agencies reported a significant increase in Brazilian interest in visiting Turkey around the time the show was broadcast, and Cappadocia in particular became a much more recognizable destination here. After the soap opera, many turkish TV shows started to be shown in free-to-air brazilian TV broadcasters and also in many streaming services - and they still very popular even after 10 years of arriving there.

Did the brazilian soap opera Salve Jorge (2012–2013) have any noticeable impact on Turkey or on how Turks viewed Brazil?