But what if Game of Thrones was filmed in Türkiye?
Imagine those frozen northern landscapes giving way to red deserts, not in Westeros, but right here on Anatolian land. Could the vast steppes where the Dothraki galloped find their match in our own plains? Which of our stone fortresses might remind us of Winterfell’s snow-covered walls? In this piece, we bring the legendary geography of the Seven Kingdoms to the rich lands of Anatolia, pairing our unique regions—climate, landscapes, and cultural textures—with their counterparts in the Game of Thrones universe.
King’s Landing → İstanbul: The Story of Two Capitals
“If the world were a single country, its capital would be İstanbul.” – Anonymous
King’s Landing—the heart of the Seven Kingdoms, a center of intrigue, power struggles, and maritime trade. Sounds familiar?
İstanbul, which was the capital of three great empires for sixteen centuries, shares many similarities with the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, King’s Landing. Both cities were more than mere centers of political or military power; they also became places where cultural diversity, social upheaval, and the ongoing struggle for dominance came together. Their location at the crossroads of waterways offered natural protection against external threats. At the same time, their layered social fabric, where different classes lived side by side, made each city both strategically important and symbolically meaningful.
We’ve laid the groundwork and presented our case; now it’s time to delve deeper. The similarities between the Golden Horn and Blackwater Bay are striking. Both waterways served not only as trade routes but also as crucial in warfare and defense. One of the clearest parallels is the use of large chains to block enemy ships during conflicts. What truly made İstanbul nearly impossible to conquer throughout history was the combination of natural features and engineering ingenuity. At the heart of this innovation was the great chain stretched across the Golden Horn, anchored between two towers roughly where Ayvansaray and Tophane are today. During times of peace, the chain was lowered, but during war, it was pulled tight, turning the waterway into an impenetrable barrier that made it impossible for enemy fleets to pass.
The most critical use of the chain was, without question, during the conquest of Constantinople in 1453. When the Ottoman fleet could not break through the barrier at the mouth of the Golden Horn, Sultan Mehmed II ordered the ships to be hauled overland, moving them across Kasımpaşa before lowering them into the harbor. This maneuver was not only a military feat but also a symbol of triumph: the chain was bypassed, and the city walls were besieged from behind. Today, remnants of that very chain, an artifact of one of history’s great turning points, are preserved in the İstanbul Archaeology Museum.
This defensive tactic appears almost exactly the same in Game of Thrones, Season 2, Episode 9. Stannis Baratheon launches his attack on King’s Landing in an effort to take the Iron Throne. Tyrion Lannister secretly has a chain stretched across Blackwater Bay. When Baratheon’s fleet enters the harbor, the chain is suddenly lifted, cutting off any chance of retreat. The next stage of the defense follows the trap: the fleet is set ablaze with what’s called “Wildfire,” a green explosive substance that burns even on water. Its historical counterpart in İstanbul was Greek fire. Developed in the late 7th century under the Eastern Roman Empire, it marked a turning point in warfare history. Unlike ordinary flames, it did not extinguish when it came into contact with water; instead, it flared up even more. Sprayed through ship-mounted siphons, it allowed for the devastation of opposing fleets. To this day, its formula remains unknown, and it is regarded as one of the earliest chemical weapons in history.
The Red Keep, home to the Iron Throne and the constant focus of power struggles, finds its closest parallel in İstanbul’s Topkapı Palace, unquestionably. With its layout and architectural features, Topkapı nearly mirrors the Red Keep’s physical and symbolic roles. High walls enclosing layered courtyards, corridors leading to hidden chambers, secret passages, and its commanding location all make it an almost perfect stand-in for Martin’s fortress.
Another key part of the city’s fabric, the Great Sept of Baelor, with its striking architecture, immediately brings to mind Hagia Sophia in İstanbul. Both structures define the city’s skyline, stand out with their domed designs, and rise as iconic landmarks where faith and power intersect.
When all these parallels are considered, it becomes clear that İstanbul, through its fabric, architecture, spirit, and history, could easily serve as inspiration for George R. R. Martin’s fictional capital.
Winterfell → Kars: The Eternal Guardian of Winter
“Winter is coming.”
Even though the phrase is most closely associated with the show, it originally serves as House Stark’s motto. When you hear it, you might picture Türkiye’s own snowy northern region, Kars. In both places, winter feels less like a fleeting season and more like a way of life.
Kars Castle, perched above the city, reflects the dominant presence of Winterfell. The snowy trees and biting cold of Winterfell call to mind Sarıkamış, one of Kars’s most iconic landscapes. Its pine forests and snow-covered scenery could have easily sprung from George R. R. Martin’s imagination. What links the two, however, goes beyond mere appearance: they share a similar spirit, shaped as much by history and culture as by geography.
As Winterfell’s ancient stone walls stand tall, and silent witnesses carry the past into the present, the ruins of Ani within Kars echo a similar legacy, dating back to the Iron Age and preserving the memory of Anatolia’s ancient history. Once the center of a great civilization, Ani, like Winterfell, bears the marks of wars, migrations, and legends. Stone structures rising through the cold and a lifestyle intertwined with nature in Kars and Winterfell create an invisible bridge between the two sites.
Dorne → Mardin: The Golden Kingdom of the Sun
The hot desert winds of Dorne evoke the terraces of Mardin, overlooking Mesopotamia. Both landscapes glow under the sun in the same golden hue.
Sunspear, Dorne’s capital, is filled with palaces and towers adorned with fountains in their courtyards and walls decorated with intricate geometric patterns; architectural details that echo the Andalusian style of Islamic design, giving Dorne its exotic character. In Mardin, too, the legacy of Artukid and Seljuk architecture appears in the abbaras and finely carved stone façades. With streets cascading down the slopes in layers, the two cities share a remarkably similar silhouette.
Both Dorne and Mardin stand out for their selective crops, which are shaped by their challenging geography. In Dorne’s arid lands, only a handful of fertile pockets exist, just enough to sustain citrus groves and vineyards. The Dornish are famed for their bold, spiced wines. Mardin, too, sits between semi-arid hills and fertile plains. The Mesopotamian plain has long thrived on wheat, olives, and almonds, while the vineyards around Midyat continue a winemaking tradition that dates back to around 3000 BC. Syriac wine, still produced by traditional methods, endures as both a cultural treasure and an economic staple of the region. In both lands, wine holds significance both culturally and economically. If Game of Thrones was filmed in Türkiye, Dorne would almost certainly come to life in the sunny streets of Mardin, with its stone alleyways opening to breathtaking views of the plains.
Dothraki Lands → Cappadocia: The Land of Beautiful Horses
Endless plains, horses running freely, and a harsh climate… The unique valleys and fairy chimneys of Cappadocia—the renowned “land of beautiful horses”—would make a perfect backdrop for the nomadic life of the Dothraki. The terrain, featuring sculpted formations and fairy chimneys, blends rawness with wonder. A story told on horseback would feel completely natural here. Ancient writers like Strabo and Xenophon praised the quality of Cappadocian horses. The Dothraki also regard horses as sacred. Their lives are closely tied to them; so much so that the gates of their only settled city, Vaes Dothrak, are marked by two enormous horse statues.
Today, wild horses still roam freely at the base of Mount Erciyes in Cappadocia. At dawn, as they race across the steppe, they resemble the heroes of a timeless legend. If Game of Thrones had ever been filmed in Türkiye, it’s hard to imagine a better setting for the Dothraki scenes than Cappadocia.
Casterly Rock → Ishak Pasha Palace: The Golden Spark
Ishak Pasha Palace appears to emerge directly from the red-gold cliffs of Doğubayazıt, almost like Casterly Rock itself. Its walls are carved into the steep slope, while domes and towers decorate the skyline, visible for miles across the plain, with the mighty Mount Ararat looming behind like a guardian.
Just as the Lannisters’ fortress carved into stone was known for its veins of gold, Ishak Pasha’s stonework dazzles with its own brilliance. When the sun hits its façade, the palace sparkles as if it’s covered in jewels. Enclosed courtyards, tall arches, and interconnected chambers form an architectural wonder that could rival the corridors of the Lannisters’ stronghold.
In the world of Game of Thrones, if the richest family in Westeros ever issued their own currency, Casterly Rock would likely be featured on it. And in Türkiye? Once, the country’s most valuable banknote actually carried the image of Ishak Pasha Palace.
This choice was hardly a coincidence, as the palace was built with wealth gained from the Silk Road, which symbolized the economic power of that time. Similar to the Lannisters’ impressive stronghold, Ishak Pasha Palace stands not only as an architectural marvel but also as a lasting symbol of wealth and authority.
The parallels we’ve drawn between the mythical world of Game of Thrones and Türkiye’s unique geography are much deeper than mere coincidences. The climate and cultural diversity of Westeros naturally mirror those of Anatolia, a land infused with thousands of years of history. Whether these elements are imagined or real, what makes both worlds compelling is the same core: rich, layered stories rooted in the intersection of cultures, climates, and communities. The strongest narratives always bear the marks of both the land and its people.
Perhaps the true magic is right there. Seeing how imaginary worlds mirror real landscapes reminds us of the diversity and inspiration these lands offer.
And finally, here’s our list of the actual Game of Thrones filming locations. You decide which: fantasy or reality?
