20 November 2025
Talk · Past event
A conversation with Ebru Aykan
- İstanbul Büyük Kulüp
The Cherry Orchards of My Homeland — Ebru Aykan
The novel lies on dark earth; as you scroll, it opens, its pages turn, and the white of the paper becomes snow.
A novel
Scroll down to explore the storySwipe up to explore the story
At first, the snow adorned them delicately, cloaking them like intricately crafted lace, almost imperceptibly. Then, it beckoned its kindred spirit, the cold, inviting it to blow gently, to declare its dominion over the mountains and valleys. The cold, without the slightest hint of reluctance, had promptly arrived at its feet. First, it froze them slowly, meticulously, as though savoring the moment. Then, with a wicked grin, it unleashed its full fury, whipping winds, blinding storms, and a storm of God’s wrath poured down upon the soldiers. 
At first, the snow adorned them delicately, cloaking them like intricately crafted lace, almost imperceptibly. Then, it beckoned its kindred spirit, the cold, inviting it to blow gently, to declare its dominion over the mountains and valleys. The cold, without the slightest hint of reluctance, had promptly arrived at its feet. First, it froze them slowly, meticulously, as though savoring the moment. Then, with a wicked grin, it unleashed its full fury, whipping winds, blinding storms, and a storm of God’s wrath poured down upon the soldiers.
A Family’s Legacy
The novel grows from the notes and memories the author’s grandfather kept during the war and left to his family as a keepsake. They are the legacy of that generation.
Hasan Sabri Aykan, Vladivostok, Russia, 1920 Hasan Sabri Aykan in a Circassian kalpak, Sardinia, Italy, 1922 Sabri’s Prisoner-of-War Certificate and his Captivity Number Asinera prisoner-of-war camp, Sardinia, Italy, 1922
Work Permit No. 417, issued by the Soviet Government during Sabri’s captivity in Vladivostok, dated October 1, 1919 The Mufti of Vladivostok and His Wife with Turkish Officers, 1920 Hasan Sabri Aykan Hasan Aykan and Ebru Aykan, Erbaa, Tokat, 1971
Click a photo to look closerTap a photo to look closer
The story told in this book is a fictionalized account based on the years my grandfather, Hasan Sabri Aykan, spent in captivity between 1915 and 1922.
From the Afterword
His story is the story of a generation that was captured, lost, and forgotten during the First World War.
From the Afterword
The Cherry Orchards
of My Homeland
- From the icy battlefields of Sarıkamış in 1915 to the vast, unforgiving depths of Russia a heroic Ottoman soldier’s extraordinary journey through captivity.
- In distant lands steeped in hardship, love finds a way.
- Friendships and affections bloom beyond the boundaries of faith and language.
- This is the epic saga of a generation that traversed half the world.
- The story of Sabri who stared death in the face and defied it time and again.
Tunç Publishing · First published: May 2025 · ISBN: 978-625-5574-31-2
Cover design: Ekin Fergan
Gatherings
8 November 2024
Book signing · Past event
41st International TÜYAP Book Fair
- Beylikdüzü
- Hall 6, Stand 621
Hover over a card to see detailsTap a card to see details
Where to Buy
English edition
The Cherry Orchards of My Homeland
Turkish edition
Vişne Kokulu Topraklar
Stock and prices are shown on each retailer’s own page.
