Bir Zamanlar Çukurova (2018–2022)
Also known as: Bitter Lands
Bitter Lands (Bir Zamanlar Çukurova) is a Turkish drama series broadcast on atv, first aired in 2018–2022. Set in the 1970s, the story follows Züleyha and Yılmaz as they flee Istanbul after a murder and hide their identities in Çukurova. Their refuge at the Yaman ranch draws them into a long struggle shaped by love, secrets, class conflict and coercive power.
Bitter Lands cast: Hilal Altınbilek (Züleyha Yaman), Kerem Alışık (Ali Rahmet Fekeli), Bülent Polat (Gaffur Taşkın), Selin Yeninci (Saniye Taşkın), Sibel Taşçıoğlu (Şermin Yaman (Arcan)), Selin Genç (Gülten Taşkın (Ciğerci)).
Editor: Uğur Arı
Where to watch Bitter Lands (Bir Zamanlar Çukurova)
Bitter Lands (Bir Zamanlar Çukurova) is available in United States on YouTube (Official YouTube).
- YouTubeOfficial YouTubeOfficial
Subtitle/dubbing languages not verified; availability on a platform does not imply language support.
Last checked: 13 Sept 2026 · May be outdated
Streaming availability data via TMDB / JustWatch — TMDB / JustWatch
How many episodes does Bitter Lands have?
Bitter Lands has 141 episodes in total across 4 seasons.
Plot
The series centers on the love story of Züleyha and Yılmaz, which begins in Istanbul in the 1970s. After Yılmaz becomes involved in a murder while trying to protect Züleyha, the couple flee and conceal their identities. They arrive in Çukurova and begin working at the Yaman ranch, entering the world controlled by the powerful landowner Demir Yaman and his mother, Hünkar. Their attempt to remain together is transformed by a lie, the ranch’s power structure and the conflicts surrounding love, marriage, family secrets, inheritance and revenge.
Origins of the story
Adaptation status
No reliable source found identifying the series as an adaptation of a novel, story, book, film, series, play, memoir or historical work.
Connection to reality
The series is a fictional story set in 1970s Çukurova. Its historical connection is limited to the period and regional context, including cotton agriculture, large estates, landownership, agricultural labor and class differences. No reliable direct evidence was found that it dramatizes a specific real event or person.
Iconic filming locations
The story setting and the real filming site are identified separately.
Aladağ Çiftliği / 1970 Adana set
Karahmetli · Adana · Türkiye
- Use in filming
- The main constructed set for the Yaman farm and period Adana
- Place represented in the story
- 1970s Adana and the Yaman family's farm world
- Scenes and context
- ATV states that 1970s Adana and the large farm were built on a major plateau in Adana; a secondary source places the set in Karahmetli village.
Kozan Kalesi
Kozan · Adana · Türkiye
- Use in filming
- Meeting point of Hünkar Yaman and Ali Rahmet Fekeli
- Place represented in the story
- Not explicitly stated in the sources
- Scenes and context
- ATV reports that important scenes were filmed at Kozan Castle and that it was used as the meeting point of Hünkar and Fekeli.
Arıkan Konağı
Kozan · Adana · Türkiye
- Use in filming
- The mansion used as Hatip's residence
- Place represented in the story
- Not explicitly stated in the sources
- Scenes and context
- ATV states that the mansion, thought to have been built in the 1890s, was used as Hatip's mansion and hosted important scenes.
Kozan Yukarı Çarşı
Kozan · Adana · Türkiye
- Use in filming
- Small-shop and bazaar scenes
- Place represented in the story
- Not explicitly stated in the sources
- Scenes and context
- ATV reports that the historic shops around Kozan Castle and Yukarı Çarşı were used for important scenes.
Varda Köprüsü
Hacıkırı, Karaisalı · Adana · Türkiye
- Use in filming
- The landscape in meeting scenes between Ali Rahmet Fekeli and Hünkar Yaman, and in the opening imagery
- Place represented in the story
- Not explicitly stated in the sources
- Scenes and context
- Reliable secondary sources identify the viaduct as the setting used in meeting scenes, especially in the early episodes, and in train footage.
Live StreamLIVE
Details
- Year
- 2018–2022
- Channel
- atv
- Genre
- drama
- Seasons
- 4
- Episodes
- 141
- Rating
- 7.8
Cast
Character Map
Hero
Anti-hero
Villain
Supporting
Character
If you liked this…
Series that share cast members with this one
Same genre: drama · Shared actor: Serpil Tamur (as Nazife Candan)
Same genre: drama · Shared actor: Hilal Altınbilek (as Asya)
Same genre: drama · Shared actor: Erkan Bektaş (as Cevher Yildirim)
Same genre: drama · Shared actor: Sibel Taşçıoğlu (as Reyhan)
Same genre: drama · Shared actor: İbrahim Çelikkol (as Prof. Dr. İnan Kural)
What's in this series?
A fictional portrait of 1970s Çukurova
Academic analysis describes the series as a fictional story set in 1970s Çukurova. Cotton fields, large estates, the landlord system, agricultural workers and class differences form its social setting.
Love, possession and power
The distributor’s synopsis frames the series around questions of love and the right to possess. The conflict among Züleyha, Yılmaz and Demir brings together love, marriage, property, class and women’s control over their own lives.
Tims&B and international distribution
The series was produced by Tims&B Productions, with Timur Savcı and Burak Sağyaşar as producers and Murat Saraçoğlu as director. Inter Medya presents it internationally under the title Bitter Lands.
Regional and international circulation
The official international title Bitter Lands shows that the Çukurova-centered story was distributed beyond its domestic context. The available sources do not provide a comprehensive, verifiable measure of its cultural impact in individual countries.
Frequently asked questions
When did Bitter Lands air?
Bitter Lands (Bir Zamanlar Çukurova) first aired on 13 September 2018 on atv.
Who is in the cast of Bitter Lands (Bir Zamanlar Çukurova)?
The main cast of Bitter Lands includes Hilal Altınbilek (Züleyha Yaman), Kerem Alışık (Ali Rahmet Fekeli), Bülent Polat (Gaffur Taşkın), Selin Yeninci (Saniye Taşkın), Sibel Taşçıoğlu (Şermin Yaman (Arcan)), Selin Genç (Gülten Taşkın (Ciğerci)).
Is Bitter Lands based on a true story?
The series is a fictional story set in 1970s Çukurova. Its historical connection is limited to the period and regional context, including cotton agriculture, large estates, landownership, agricultural labor and class differences. No reliable direct evidence was found that it dramatizes a specific real event or person.
What is Bir Zamanlar Çukurova called in English?
Bir Zamanlar Çukurova was distributed internationally as "Bitter Lands".
Sources
- Bir Zamanlar Çukurova Dizisi Konusu, Oyuncu Kadrosu — atv
- Bir Zamanlar Çukurova Oyuncu Kadrosu — atv
- Bir Zamanlar Çukurova | Kadro | Züleyha — atv
- Çukurova’da beklenen buluşma gerçekleşti — atv
- Züleyha ve Yılmaz aşkı çıkmaza girdi — atv
- Züleyha ve Yılmaz’ın aşkı bir kez daha sınanıyor — atv
- Züleyha, Hünkar’ın kaderini değiştirdi — atv
- Bir Zamanlar Çukurova | Bitter Lands — Inter Medya
- Tims&B 2025 Catalogue — Tims&B
- Televizyon Dizisine Jeopolitik, Jeokritik ve Kültürel Değerler Açısından Bakış: Bir Zamanlar Çukurova Örneği — Avrasya Sosyal ve Ekonomi Araştırmaları Dergisi