Gralhix OSINT Excercise #003
Introducing the third OSINT challenge from Gralhix, which asks us to geolocate the location shown in a news photo of a 2017 meeting between the presidents of Somalia and Turkey. Simple enough, right?
Well, in my eagerness to efficiently solve this challenge, I nearly made a careless error that could have invalidated my work. It was a good reminder of the importance of double-checking our conclusions in OSINT research, even when a solution seems obvious. Whether we’re working on training exercises or real-world investigations, sloppy mistakes can lead us astray, waste valuable time, and potentially undermine the credibility and impact of our findings. Lesson learned!
On a separate note, while verifying my coordinates for this challenge, I discovered something new (for me)— there are two common formats for expressing latitude and longitude:
- Decimal Degrees (DD), which represents the coordinates as decimal fractions. For example, the Statue of Liberty is located at 40.689247° N, 74.044502° W in DD format.
- Degrees Minutes Seconds (DMS), which expresses the coordinates in terms of degrees, minutes, and seconds. In DMS, the Statue of Liberty’s coordinates are 40°41'21.3"N 74°02'40.2"W.
I never realized this and it cleared up some past discrepancies I’ve noticed! The more you know. Now, on to breaking down how I tackled geolocating this presidential meeting, starting with a close analysis of the visual clues in the challenge image.
Context, Foreground, Background & Map Markings
Before diving into any tools, we’ll make sure to cover our bases using a simple method for analyzing the image:
- Context: Provided by Gralhix, “In April 2017 Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, the then president of Somalia, visited Turkey. A news agency published a photo where he was seen shaking hands with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the country’s president.”
- Foreground: The image shows the President of Somalia on the left, shaking hands with the Turkish President on the right. They are standing on a blue carpet laid over gray stone. Each country’s flag is positioned next to its respective president.
— Behind the leaders is a large glass door framed by a wide gold border.
— The door features a decorative gold grid pattern with two large gold circles, one in the upper half and another in the lower half.
— Centered above the top gold circle is a red seal adorned with gold symbols, matching the size of the two gold circles.
— The wall surrounding the doorway is a lighter shade of gray compared to the ground. - Background: The image does not provide any significant background details.
- Map Markings: None contained in the image.
This calls for a Reverse Image Search
Any meeting between heads of state is bound to attract press coverage, especially during official state visits which often take place at standard locations. To expand our context efficiently, we can use Google’s reverse image search on the provided photo.
Jackpot — the search yields numerous relevant results, and the distinctive doorway matches up. One promising hit is an article from Atalayar, a publication focused on Spain and Europe’s global relations, particularly with Mediterranean countries. Their coverage provides the key details we’re after.
Atalayar’s article confirms the meeting took place on April 26, 2017, at the Ankara Presidential Complex in Turkey. It summarizes the main topics discussed, including bilateral cooperation on issues like security, defense, trade, and humanitarian aid. The two leaders also touched on regional challenges such as the conflicts in Syria and Somalia.
With the date and location confirmed, we’re well on our way to pinpointing the exact coordinates of this diplomatic rendezvous. The next step will be to scour satellite imagery and street-level photos of the presidential complex to match the visual elements in our challenge image.
Here’s where I almost made a mistake
In my eagerness to wrap up this exercise, I nearly jumped the gun and assumed the doorway had to be at the location marked below.
Besides being in a rush, I think I may have subconsciously assumed that heads of state always appear together in a garden area, likely influenced by images of the White House Rose Garden in the US. Talk about a silly and incorrect assumption! Thankfully, I caught my error by remembering to verify my hunch.
Checking and Double Checking
At this location, Google Earth Pro doesn’t provide a Street View or 3D view, so we’ll need to verify the location elsewhere. I first turned to Wikipedia and looked up the Turkish Presidential Complex. While it had some pictures, none showed the specific door I was interested in. However, it did provide the official name of the complex in Turkish: Cumhurbaşkanlığı Külliyesi.
From previous research assignments, I know that searching in the original language often proves fruitful, and this was no exception. A Google search of “Cumhurbaşkanlığı Külliyesi” led me to the presidential complex’s official website, which rewarded me with another article about the visit in question and a real treasure: a virtual tour of the presidential complex!
Comparing my first guess (the door facing the garden) with the door in the exercise image:
We don’t have a match. The exercise image on the left shows a great deal of ornamental gold trim around the door, while the image on the right (from the garden) has more subdued trim. I’ve also drawn attention to the top of the door frame. Our exercise image does not have the gold circle intersecting with the top frame like the garden door does.
Grateful that we caught our error, we turn to the front of the main building:
We have a match for the areas of discrepancy with the garden door, and closer inspection confirms that we have the right door.
Exercise 003 Location
Having verified that the presidents are pictured in front of the main entrance in the image, we can confirm the location:
And on OpenStreetMap
Grahlix OSINT Exercise 003 Solution
The picture was taken at the main entrance of the Turkish Presidential Complex.
— Decimal Degrees (DD): 39.931218° 32.799775°
— Degrees Minutes Seconds (DMS): 39°55'52.39"N 32°47'59.19"E
Conclusion and Lessons Learned
At first glance, this exercise seemed straightforward, especially with the helpful context provided by Gralhix. However, as I worked through the challenge, I realized that even seemingly simple tasks require careful verification and attention to detail.
My initial assumption about the location of the meeting nearly led me astray. It was only by double-checking and comparing the visual elements of the doorway that I was able to correct my mistake and find the true location.
This experience reinforced the importance of verification in OSINT work. No matter how confident we feel about our findings, it’s crucial to take the time to confirm our conclusions before presenting them as fact. A single error, even if unintentional, can undermine the credibility of our research and lead to misinterpretation or false conclusions.
As I continue to develop my OSINT skills, I’ll keep this lesson in mind: always verify, double-check, and strive for accuracy in every aspect of my work. It’s the key to building trust with clients, colleagues, and the wider OSINT community.
