HIDDEN IN AMBER

The story of the Turkic communities that remained in Crimea after the collapse of the Khazar Empire is a semi-obscure subject. In the 14th century, some of these communities migrated to present-day Lithuania. This Turkish community, who established a life for themselves in Trakia near Vilnius, are the Karaites. In other words, Karaims. The Karaims, who established their beliefs in the 9th century, also speak Karaite, which is rooted in Kipchak Turkish. Today, however, their numbers are very small. This deep-rooted culture is at risk of disappearing. The documentary Hidden in Amber tries to tell the current carriers of this culture, their stories and life in a cinematographic language. It also traces the Karaims, one of the smallest communities in Istanbul. The documentary film, which features important names such as Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı and Dr. Halina Kobestcehi, was made with the main sponsorship of Artaş Holding and the archival support of the Presidency of the State Archives of the Republic of Turkey. While trying to understand the heritage of the Karaites, which has been carefully preserved until today, this documentary film tries to discuss where the cultural past has led today and where it will lead in the future in the context of geography, history, and culture.