The statue had been commissioned within the scope of Ordu Municipality's “Project to Commemorate Turkish History’s Most Important Figures” to celebrate historical figures in Turkey's history, including Osman Gazi, Suleiman the Magnificent and Mehmed the Conqueror. However, Ertugrul's bust’s near-identical resemblance to Engin Altan Düzyatan stirred a debate on social media, and the controversial statue was removed by the municipality.