# Yeditepe Istanbul (2001)

> After her husband's suicide leaves debts behind, a widow and her teenage daughter move into an Istanbul slum and find unexpected family among their neighbors.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/43468

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 47
- Episode runtime: 45 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama, family
- Created by: Ali Ulvi Hünkar
- Network: TRT 1, tabii
- Cast: Zuhal Olcay, Uğur Polat, Emre Kınay, Güven Kıraç, Oktay Kaynarca, Ruhi Sarı, Nejat Birecik, Itır Esen
- TMDB rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290995/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: warm, wistful, sincere, hopeful, gentle

## Synopsis

Yeditepe Istanbul (2001-2002) is a Turkish national-television family drama series created by Ali Ulvi Hünkar and broadcast on TRT 1. Zuhal Olcay plays Olcay Turan, a widow who, after her husband's suicide leaves the family buried in debt, moves with her teenage daughter Duru into a slum in Istanbul. With no degree and no work experience, Olcay takes on a string of odd jobs while depending on her one remaining friend for shelter. Uğur Polat plays Ali, Emre Kınay plays Yusuf Gülseçen, and Oktay Kaynarca plays Ferhan, all neighbors whose lives differ sharply from the world Olcay left behind. The engine of the show is the daily friction and gradual warmth between the newcomers and the people of the district, as each episode tangles pride, poverty and small kindnesses. Spanning two seasons and forty-seven episodes, it is a character-driven, episodic melodrama rather than a plot-heavy saga. Its tone is warm and wistful, with gentle humor and a sincere, hopeful undercurrent. Set in contemporary Istanbul, it unfolds across crowded streets and close-knit apartment life. Viewers who enjoy the neighborhood warmth of Gecekondu and the family melodrama of Acı Hayat will find resonance here.

## Shows like Yeditepe Istanbul

- [The Innocents (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/91734)
- [Üsküdar'a Giderken (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/44416)
- [The European Side (2004)](https://ember.film/tv/52)
- [Our Story (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/64315)
- [Bandits (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/66506)
- [Sweet Life (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/44238)
- [Wild Heart (2023)](https://ember.film/tv/149224)
- [Yedi Numara (2000)](https://ember.film/tv/43410)
- [Ethos (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/93995)
- [A Round of Applause (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/160671)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt