Turhan Yavuz

The Ottoman Dynasty extended over three continents, surviving 600 years from the Middle Ages to the beginning of the 20th century. 24 of its 36 Sultans ruled the Empire from Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, for a period of 400 years. The royal residence, which has witnessed moments of great joy and sorrow, became a museum after the founding of the Turkish Republic in 1923 by Kemal Ataturk. Until it opened its doors to visitors from all over the world, the Topkapi Palace had always been a mysterious, shuttered world. The "Topkapi Palace" series represents the widest-ranging project of its kind ever to be taken. It was in 1990 that all the doors of the Topkapi Palace were opened to a film crew for the first time. Their lights probed parts of the palace still closed to visitors and, indeed, into places that had never seen the daylight.

The documentary explores how our traditional culture of change and way of life, and the new spatial formations and lifestyles created by modernity, have existed in our "world of meaning" since time immemorial. Taking refuge in the testimony of time, place, and humanity, it aims to show that what we are actually changing is our way of life. As our neighborhood grows, is the global world offering us a "counter-civilization"? 60 minutes, Turkish-English subtitles, FullHD, Production 2016

Documents rapidly vanishing old houses and craftsmen in the mountainous eastern Black Sea region. The nail-less dovecoting construction of old log cabins withstands earthquakes. Sites in villages like Savsat were chosen both for their protection from snow and avalanches, and built on the poorest soil to leave the meagre arable areas for cultivation. In Ikizdere there are still stone and half-timbered structures. All these spacious homes are notable for their interior panelled walls and ceiling, elaborately carved and embellished. Various other techniques in Sumene and Rize are illustrated.

"The Ballad of the Wood" reveals the traditional architecture of the houses of the Western Black Sea region for centuries has been passed down from father to son, from master to apprentice through secrets and a technique known as "canti". Some of the houses shown have been standing for the last 100 to 150 years. The film honors the great craftsman of the past who utilized the "dizeme" technique through an emphasis on structures that are 300 years old. These examples are some of the most unique to be found in the Western Black Sea region. This craft has been passed down from generation to generation. Now only a few old and tired practitioners are left and they reveal to the camera their anti-earthquake construction techniques. The average age of the craftsmen is 80 years old.

Directed by Suha Arın in 1979, Tahtacı Fatma is one of the earliest documentaries on the ethnic Tahtacı community. In an interview conducted in 1999, Suha Arın mentions that he wished to make a follow-up film that includes updated information about their conditions as he had not been in touch since several years. However, Arın passed away in 2004 without realizing his wish. Why was Arın curious again about a community whom he already worked with twenty years earlier? The 40 Years After Fatma observes the changes which Tahtacıs went through, with the company of documentarists who worked with Suha Arın back in 1979, at their native land.

This documentary describes one of the greatest monuments in the history of world architecture, the historical, cultural and political past of a magnificent building whose history stretches right back to the 4th century.

The documentary explores one of Istanbul’s most significant art monuments, tracing nearly 700 years of cultural and artistic history through the mosaics and frescoes of the Kariye Mosque (Chora Church). By combining visual analysis with a distinctive soundscape—from Byzantine hymns and Orthodox prayers to the Islamic call to prayer and Ottoman takbirs—the documentary emphasizes Istanbul’s layered cultural continuity and enduring intercultural dialogue.

The episode titled “Erciyes’s Fertility” from the documentary series “Old Houses Old Masters” is about the unique architectural structure of the Kayseri, Nevşehir and Ürgüp area, known as Cappadocia in the Central Anatolia Region, dating back centuries to the present day.