Çatalhöyük Featured in Wheat Documentary for China’s CCTV-9

News | Çatalhöyük Featured in Wheat Documentary for China’s CCTV-9

November 1, 2026
Filming in Türkiye, Industry News & Events
Sait YARDIMCI

Filmed for China Central Television’s documentary channel CCTV-9, WHEAT: The Seed of Civilization explores wheat’s place in human history, with Çatalhöyük as one of its key locations in Türkiye.

Filming in Türkiye has been completed for WHEAT: The Seed of Civilization, a five-part documentary series produced by Chinese production company Sunnyway Films. The series explores the origins and spread of wheat and its place in the lives of different communities. One of its key filming locations in Türkiye was Çatalhöyük, in Konya.

Excavated Neolithic structures at Çatalhöyük, protected beneath a modern shelter — The excavated remains at Çatalhöyük, a key location in the documentary’s exploration of early agriculture and human history.

With contributions from Prof. Dr. Ali Ozan, the Çatalhöyük filming examined the site’s significance for understanding early farming communities and people’s relationship with grain. The discussion drew on archaeological evidence to explore wheat production, storage and processing, as well as its role in daily life. A scene showing traditional tandoor bread-making in a village home near Çatalhöyük also created a visual link between the past and present-day food traditions.

A documentary crew films an interview with Prof. Dr. Ali Ozan at Çatalhöyük. — Prof. Dr. Ali Ozan shares his expertise during filming for WHEAT: The Seed of Civilization.

The documentary’s Türkiye coverage also includes filming in Istanbul and Kalecik. At the historic Sümbül Efendi Bakery in Istanbul, the crew filmed simit being baked. In Kalecik, they documented bulgur and flour being made with a hand mill, as well as the preparation of firik pilaf. Together, these scenes show wheat not only as part of the archaeological record, but also as a continuing element of Anatolia’s traditional food and production culture.

Mehmet Sait Yardımcı, President of the Turkish Film Commission, served as the field producer and coordinated the filming in Türkiye. The production brought together an international documentary team, academic expertise, local contributors and sites of cultural heritage.

Mehmet Sait Yardımcı at the Çatalhöyük archaeological site in Konya, Türkiye — Mehmet Sait Yardımcı, President of the Turkish Film Commission, at Çatalhöyük during filming for WHEAT: The Seed of Civilization.

Produced for CCTV-9, the documentary will introduce Chinese viewers to Çatalhöyük, Konya and Türkiye’s cultural heritage. By exploring wheat’s place in shared human history, WHEAT: The Seed of Civilization presents Çatalhöyük as an important part of that story.

A documentary crew films a field visit in the countryside near Çatalhöyük, Konya. — The WHEAT: The Seed of Civilization crew explores the landscape around Çatalhöyük with a local guide.

ThThe Turkish Film Commission supports international film and television productions in Türkiye and works to raise the global visibility of the country’s cultural heritage and destinations. By exploring wheat’s place in shared human history, WHEAT: The Seed of Civilization will present Çatalhöyük to viewers around the world as an important part of that story.