Despite starting later in the season, Uzak Şehir has become the dark horse of Monday nights, ranking #1 in more than one rating category, going as far as even breaking the season's highest rating record in the 'Total' category.
The series, a Turkish remake of the mega-hit Arabian series Al-Hayba, follows Alya Albora, who arrives in Mardin’s Albora lands from Canada, carrying out her late husband’s will with his funeral and their five-year-old son. However, this arrival marks a one-way journey—there is no leaving Albora.
Cihan Albora, the head of the Albora clan, may not remain indifferent to Alya’s struggles, but he refuses to let her take the child and leave. As Alya confronts the shadows of the past, buried secrets, and the harsh realities of the region, she finds herself locked in a fierce battle with her husband’s family.
Read along to discover the essential details about the characters in the popular Kanal D series:
OZAN AKBABA as CİHAN ALBORA
He is the head of the Albora family, which owns vast lands on the border with Mardin. He is a man who does not put his emotions ahead of reason, is cold-blooded, has high foresight and judgment, and is a fighter.
SİNEM ÜNSAL as ALYA ALBORA
Boran Albora's widow. Cihan Deniz's mother. A woman who lives by Western values. Sensible, resilient, persistent in her decisions, fond of her freedom.
GONCA CİLASUN as SADAKAT ALBORA
The wife of Azem Albora and the mother of Boran, Cihan, Nare, and Kaya, she is deeply committed to her traditions. She disregards the rules of the changing world, believing that if they stray from their customs and traditions in their homeland, they will have no chance of survival and will be easy prey. Because of this conviction, she is unwavering in her principles and merciless in their enforcement.
KUZEY GEZER as DENİZ CİHAN ALBORA
Alya and Boran’s son, he finds both solace and wonder in the lands of Mardin, where he arrives after the loss of his beloved father. For him, these lands are like a realm of fairy tales, and the Albora mansion feels like a fortress where he can feel safe within the embrace of his extended family. His idol is Cihan Albora.
MÜFİT KAYACAN as ECMEL ALBORA
Azem’s brother, Fidan’s husband, and the father of Şahin and Zerrin. An ambitious man who thrives on power and authority. He believes in siding with the strong, not the weak, and holds to the principle that every means is justified to achieve an end.
ALPER ÇANKAYA as ŞAHİN ALBORA
The son of Ecmel Albora and Fidan Albora. Cousin to Cihan, Kaya, and Nare. Şahin grew up alongside his cousins and sees Boran, Cihan, and Kaya as no different from his siblings. However, he is in love with Nare—he always has been, even after her marriage. His constant struggle lies in the conflict between his own family and his uncle’s family, a tension that has always weighed heavily on him.
FERİT KAYA as DEMİR BAYBARS
The Albora Family's greatest enemy, the son of Nadim Baybars, is a man with a harsh and vicious temperament. His day is like no other and he does not know how to use his head. He has a hatred for Cihan from the past, and this hatred has become an obsession for him.
SAHRA ŞAŞ as NARE ALBORA BULUT
The daughter of Azem and Sadakat. Sister to Boran, Kaya, and Cihan. Nare is like a leaf swept away by the harsh winds of Albora. While trying to preserve her emotional nature, she has built a protective cocoon around herself from the blows she has endured. She is constantly striving to protect herself.
ATAKAN ÖZKAYA as KAYA ALBORA
The youngest child of Azem and Sadakat, and the sibling of Boran, Cihan, and Nare. Kaya, who faced his father’s death during adolescence, is the most fiery and impetuous member of the family. He is a man who would move mountains for those he loves but become the harbinger of doom for those he despises.
DİLİN DÖĞER as ZERRİN ALBORA
She is the daughter of Ecmel and Fidan and sister of Şahin. Like Şahin, she is caught in the middle of the conflict between two families. This in-betweenness makes her very irritable and causes her to make unwise decisions.
NAZMİ KIRIK as NADİM BAYBARS
He was the head of the Baybarslar family and the father of Demir Baybars. Baybarslar is a smuggling family in the region. They have a long-standing blood feud with the Alboras. Although he gives his son Nadim responsibility within the family, he has never fully trusted him.
İLKAY KAYKU as FİDAN ALBORA
Ecmel is the wife of Albora and the mother of Şahin and Zerrin. She comes from a wealthy family of the region. She blames Sadakat and Cihan for Ecmel's imprisonment. Therefore, she is not happy that Şahin is with the Cihans.