Layover at Istanbul Atatürk Airport, where flights were purchased on different tickets

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Given that you've already checked-in for the Emirates flight, you're obviously flying within the next day or two, so I'm guessing re-booking isn't an option...

The simple fact is that making this connection is likely going to be very tight.

Ataturk airport is actually very easy to get around - it's a simple layout, complicated only by the fact that many flights use "bus gates", which don't so much add complexity, but can cause additional delays getting to the terminal.

The problem you're going to have is that the time your flight arrives is generally a very busy time for arrivals. At that time of day the immigration lines entering the country can be extremely long, and waits of an hour or more are very possible.

Once you get through immigration - even if it's taken an hour or more - you may still find that your baggage is not yet available. Many of the luggage belts are not large enough to handle a plane-full of baggage, and so if passengers are stuck in immigration their bags frequently stay on the belt, blocking new bags from arriving. On occasion airport staff (or other frustrated passengers) will remove bags from the belt, but frequently not.

Once you have your baggage you will need to exit customs and then head up to the departure level - if you stay within the airport terminal you should be able to do this without going through the security at the entry to the airport which will speed things up a little.

Hopefully after all that you'll make it to the Emirates check-in more than an hour before your flight leaves to check-in your luggage. The good news after that is that immigration and security when departing Turkey are generally relatively quick, so as long as you've made the 1 hour cut-off for baggage drop you should be able to make it to the gate in time for the flight.

As far as hints, all I can really suggest is to try sitting near the front of the plane on your first flight (which will not help much if you get a bus gate, but hopefully you won't), and making sure you move fast when you arrive to get to immigration as quickly as possible. Praying to any favorite deities can't hurt, but likely won't help much either.

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