ADVENTUROUS TURKEY – From the Bosporus to the Tigris

ARTE, 2015, 5x 52/43 min., NDR, 2015, 2x 43 min.

The five-part series “Turkey Adventure – From the Bosporus to the Tigris” takes us on a journey from the Bosporus, through the Sea of Marmara, and down the Mediterranean coast. We then turn towards Central Turkey and travel along the Syrian and Iraqi border to Eastern Anatolia, pausing to rest on the shores of the captivatingly beautiful Lake Van. From Lake Van, we continue towards the Black Sea, through the Armenian and Georgian borderlands, until we arrive back in Istanbul, bringing to an end a unique journey that has taken us from south-eastern Europe to western Asia.

This journey, spanning two continents, promises to involve exciting encounters with people who seem both familiar and, at the same time, foreign to us, and who sometimes even appear to come from a different world altogether. Many of the regions covered in the course of the five-part series astonish and enthral the visitor, thanks to their unique natural and cultivated landscapes. We learn about the chequered history of the peoples of Turkey, a history that is both visible and tangible everywhere you go. We take our time, look at details without losing track of the overall picture, and so discover a country whose remarkable diversity has never been shown on television before in this way.

Another thing that makes Turkey so appealing: it is a country of stark contrasts. This starts with the countryside: charming coastal areas with their almost tropical climes are juxtaposed with the rugged nature of the hinterland. Modern cities on the one hand; cultural sites dating back thousands of years on the other. In the West, people eager to set out into the future; in the East, tribes of nomads. So it really is time for this film by the writers Sabine Howe, Claudia Wallbrecht and Nadja Frenz, which takes stock of Turkey, the land of economic miracles, and shows it in a new light, including fascinating high-definition aerial footage.