In 1964, Pialat and cinematographer Willy Kurant (Masculin féminin) headed to Turkey, where they produced a series of six lyrical shorts dedicated to the country’s history and people. Subjects included the poetry of Nazim Hikmet (Maître Galip), the history of the city of Istanbul generally and its Golden Horn peninsula in particular (Byzance, Istanbul, Bosphore, and La Corne d’Or), and the wrestling competition at Pehlivan (Pehlivan).