Documentary film on Anatolian Seljuks

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

The documentary particularly focuses on the concepts of mosque, caravanserai and madrasah. AA photos

A new documentary film, produced by the Konya Metropolitan Municipality and Turkish state television TRT, features the settlement of the Seljuk Empire in Anatolia, their artworks and policies they followed.

The making of the documentary started eight months ago in the Central Anatolian province of Konya and continued in about 20 provinces. Highlighting the architectural structures of the Anatolian Seljuk state, the documentary particularly focuses on the concepts of mosque, caravanserai and madrasah.

The Alaaddin Mosque, Karatay Madrasah and İnce Minare Museum in Konya, Eşrefoğlu Mosque in Beyşehir district and Sultan Han in Aksaray are among the places shown in the documentary.

Proposal by municipality

Hadi Şenol, the director of the documentary “Anadolu’da Selçuklu” (Seljuks in Anatolia), said that his interest in the Anatolian Seljuk state began in 1988 during the shooting of a documentary titled “Anadolu’nun Başkentleri” (Capitals of Anatolia).

“Since then I have wanted to document the settlement of the Seljuk state in Anatolia. When officials from the Konya Metropolitan Municipality proposed I make a documentary, we started preparations,” he said, adding that the shooting of the documentary was about to be completed. “It will be finished after scriptwriting, soundrecording, mounting and composing of special music. We plan to deliver the documentary for broadcasting. It will be first aired on TRT’s HD channel and then on TRT1 and TRT Anatolia channels.” Şenol said the documentary, whose director of photography is Sarper Hokna, would have two episodes, each of which will be 30 minutes. “It is an HD documentary. It is the first documentary shot in HD progressive, which means 1920x1080. We will also have animations. For example, we will animate Alaaddin Hill at the time of the Seljuk period. We will tell what Anatolia is in the first episode, and the policies of the Seljuk state when moving to Anatolia will be told in the second episode.”

Şenol said they had some difficulties during the shooting of the documentary. “For example, Sinop Castle has lost its characteristics because of visual pollution. We have encountered many areas like this. The concept of mosque and madrasah will be highlighted as the Seljuk state constructed these buildings for the education and safety of the people.”