Iskele turns into old Istanbul (Part 1)

By Steven Roberts…….

If you wander around the centre of Iskele you will see a hive of activity as metal is being welded, wood is being cut, and fabric awnings are  being put on some of the shops and cafes. Why this sudden activity?

Parts of Iskele town centre are being turned into a film set. Turkish film director Ali Avci is making a new film called ‘Reis’ (Leader) documenting the life of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.  Iskele is being transformed to look like the Kasimpasa district of Istanbul, where Erdogan spent his life in the 1950’s. The film could not be made in Istanbul because so much development has taken place in the last couple of decades.

Filming is due to start this Friday 22^nd January, and if I can get  close enough to take photos, I’ll post them at the weekend.

It is somewhat ironic that probably the most famous person to have been brought up in Iskele (Trikomo in Greek) was none other than George Grivas (“Digenis”) the head of EOKA and EOKA B. You will not be surprised to discover there are neither statues of him nor streets bearing his name in the town!