PAYİTAHT - Ottoman Istanbul

From 1453 onwards, Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, assumed a historical identity as a global city, an Islamic city, an imperial city, and a synthesis of faiths and cultures, which is described under seven headings. Ottoman Istanbul, or the “capital” formed by the blending of Turkish-Islamic culture with the cultures of Eastern Rome, Iran, Egypt, the Balkans, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea basin, has been prepared as a documentary film in seven parts with the support of the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency. The documentary narrates Ottoman Istanbul under these headings, attracting great interest and admiration with its technical quality, featuring 2D and 3D animations, dramatised scenes, and multi-faceted shots of Istanbul from the air, sea, and different angles. Istanbul has a unique identity that sets it apart from other comparable cities, capitals, and historical and strategic cities. In many ways, it is unlike any other city. Above all, Istanbul is the “Payitaht” (imperial capital). It is the city of the Great Sultans. Blessed by the Prophet and made the capital by Fatih, Istanbul, with its new silhouette marked by Islamic civilisation, possesses spaces that foster knowledge, morality, faith, literature, and aesthetics. Istanbul's unique culture, with its distinctive daily life in its neighbourhoods and its symphonic economic order in its bazaars, is narrated around the axis of its imperial character. Following a long and detailed research period with a team of expert consultants, the documentary project involved six months of filming, capturing every detail of Istanbul through aerial, land and sea footage. All important details are narrated in a manner befitting the grandeur of the capital, according to their historical significance and meaning. The ‘Payitaht Istanbul’ project, completed with a team of 25 people, featured 20 actors, 200 extras and a technical team of 33 people in its reenactment scenes. It is noteworthy that German and Russian technicians were also part of the team, while a special team of 17 people worked on the project's animations, demonstrating the enormous amount of effort that went into it. The animation team featured in the documentary recreates the structures and life of the Byzantine and Ottoman periods, of which no traces remain in Istanbul. In addition to the animation group working with a technique not used in Turkey, music reflecting the spirit of the period was composed for this major documentary film. The documentary, which features 34 people involved in the composition, recording and studio stages of the music, stands out not only for today but also as a work that could serve as a resource in the future.