"Close-Up: World War I" Documentary Now on Air

The 22-episode documentary "100 Years Ago, 100 Years Later / Close-Up: World War I", with each episode lasting 26 minutes, supported by the Prime Ministry Promotion Fund of the Republic of Türkiye, supervised by TRT and produced by the Bahçeşehir University Civilization Studies Center (MEDAM), has begun airing weekly on TRT Belgesel.

On the centennial of World War I, which completely changed both our country and the entire world, the documentary examines and presents the untold, hidden and unknown aspects of the war objectively and also from the perspective of the Ottoman geography.

“The episodes of the "Close-Up: World War I" documentary are as follows:

1. Shifting Balances
2. The Sick Man
3. As the Great War Begins
4. The Parties to the War
5. The Ottoman Search for Alliances
6. Western Front 1
7. Western Front 2
8. Caucasus Front 1
9. Caucasus Front 2
10. Gallipoli Front 1
11. Gallipoli Front 2
12. Galicia Front
13. Canal – Syria – Palestine Fronts 1
14. Canal – Syria – Palestine Fronts 2
15. Iraq – Basra – Kut al-Amara Front 1
16. Iraq – Basra – Kut al-Amara Front 2
17. Hejaz–Yemen Front – Defense of Medina
18. Intelligence (Shadow Soldiers)
19. Propaganda (War Without Weapons)
20. Science and Technology
21. End-of-War Agreements
22. The Never-Ending War

The documentary seeks to examine from every angle this Great War, which began a century ago and whose far-reaching historical, cultural, sociological and geostrategic effects in many regions of the world, above all the Middle East, have lasted to this day and appear set to continue; making use of advancing technology, it has been prepared and edited in international standards and formats
to pass it on to future generations and to bring it to the public agenda.

It was a war that permeated everything, from science to art, from culture to civil society organizations, from philosophy to daily life and even the medicines we use. It did not end; it broke out again in 1939. Today, it is accepted by all sides that the conflicts, struggles and upheavals in the wider Middle East are connected to that great war that began in 1914.


Using drama, dramatized dialogue scenes, animation and infographics, original music, archival footage and expert interviews, the documentary aims to keep viewers engaged at a lively pace while also presenting much new and little-known information that, apart from researchers, the public is largely unaware of.

While covering World War I in chronological order, each episode takes a close-up look at topics that have not been addressed or presented until now.

For the dramatized scenes in the documentary, reenactments were filmed on drama sets built with fully professional crews and equipment: 26 days in Safranbolu, 10 days in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and 10 days in Istanbul. Around 400 local and international actors and extras took part. The project portrays many important figures through drama, including Sultan Abdulhamid II, Sultan Selim III, Enver Pasha, Cemal Pasha, Talat Pasha, Rauf Orbay, Winston Churchill, Said Halim Pasha, Wangenheim, T.E. Lawrence, Gertrude Bell, Göring, Rosa Luxemburg, Doughty Wylie, Rupert Brooke and Mehmet Akif Ersoy.