But it’s for a television series called “Degenler”, one of about 60 filmed annually in Turkiye that have made Istanbul and other Turkish cities familiar to viewers in nearly 170 countries around the world. Over the past 15 years, Turkiye has established itself as the foremost exporter of series after the United States and Britain. “Latin Americans find Turkish series very close to their culture,” said Erdi Isik, development manager at Ay Yapim — Turkiye’s leading exporter last year and whose production “Yargi” (“Family Secrets”) last November won an International Emmy for best telenovela. “When I show samples to a panel, even if they don’t understand a word of Turkish, they catch what it is about because the family culture is very much the same,” he said. In total, nearly 700 million viewers enjoy “alla turca” telenovelas, according to the Turkish culture ministry.
