Netflix’s anticipated next original Turkish series The Gift began principal photography. Starring Beren Saat, the eight-episode mystery drama’s cast also includes Mehmet Gunsur, Metin Akdulger, Melisa Senolsun, Basak Koklukaya, Civan Canova and Tim Seyfi. The filming will begin in Istanbul and continue in various cities of Southeastern Anatolia, primarily in Gobeklitepe.

Onur Guvenatam will executive produce the series alongside with Ozge Bagdatlioglu and Jason George who is also partnering with Nuran Evren Sit as writer. Produced by Alex Sutherland, The Gift, set to debut in 2019, will be directed by Ozan Aciktan and Gonenc Uyanik.

The series follows the life of Atiye who is a young and beautiful painter and leads the perfect life in Istanbul; she has a loving family, a wealthy and lovable boyfriend, and to top it all off, she is about to open her first solo exhibition. But her perfect life is about to change with a discovery made in the most ancient temple on Earth, Gobeklitepe. An archeologist named Erhan, discovers a symbol in the ruins, a symbol that connects Atiye to Gobeklitepe in a very mysterious way. And now, Atiye will turn her life upside down and spark a quest to discover the secrets of her past, secrets hidden within those ancient ruins.

The journey from Istanbul to Gobeklitepe and Nemrut, passing through Anatolia, provides a connection between the spiritual world and the material world, the modern world and ancient World, exploring and transformation.

Kelly Luegenbiehl, Vice President of International Originals at Netflix said: “We believe that our second Turkish original series starring Beren Saat, will convey a new and exciting story from Turkey to the world. Our journey began in Istanbul with The Protector, and continues with our new series that introduces Anatolia’s natural, cultural and historical heritage from Gobeklitepe to Nemrut to our global audience. We are thrilled to be working with Beren in her return to series as she brings a dynamic female character like Atiye to life.”

The Gift is produced by OG Medya for Netflix.