It may look like a fairy-tale village but today it is completely abandoned; the project behind Burj Al Babas aimed to create luxury residences for wealthy buyers from Gulf countries. Today, however, there are hundreds of aligned and unfinished castles on the Turkish hills that resemble almost an abandoned film location. But what happened to this place that was meant to become a luxury district?
Burj Al Babas, the Village of Castles in Turkey
Burj Al Babas is one of Turkey’s most unusual real estate projects: the vast residential complex made up of identical villas, turrets, decorative balconies, and sharply pitched roofs that from far away resembles a fairy-tale city, but up close you notice the windows are empty, the streets unfinished, and the buildings uninhabited.
The project was supposed to transform a mountainous area of Bolu Province into an exclusive destination. The plan stalled before completion, leaving behind one of the most visible symbols of the Turkish construction crisis.
The idea was ambitious. Build 732 luxury villas, each resembling a small European castle, and create around them an entire town for holidays and spa stays. The homes, developed over multiple floors, were designed with cylindrical towers, staircases, balustrades, and large windows. A deliberately theatrical architecture, distant from the traditional buildings of the area. The style was likened to fairy-tale castles and Disney scenery, though some elements recalled Istanbul monuments, such as the Galata Tower and the Maiden’s Tower.
An important role was to be played by hot springs. The Mudurnu area is known for its springs, and the villas would have been connected to the facilities to offer private pools and treatment spaces. The cool mountain climate was also presented as an alternative to the very hot summers of the Arabian Peninsula.
Property prices? Jaw-dropping. They were said to range from 370,000 to 500,000 dollars, roughly 326,000 to 437,000 euros. Interest was not lacking; it is enough to note that some bookings had already been made by clients from Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The project was progressing nicely; in a few years more than 500 villas had been built. What happened? The economic slowdown and the depreciation of the Turkish lira, together with political instability, led to a halt in construction between 2018 and 2019. Since then, Burj Al Babas has been abandoned, as if everything were left in suspense. No one knows what will become of these splendid unfinished castles and the project, but one thing is certain: viewed from the outside, it really looks like a film set with numerous castles that seem to have leaped straight from the most famous fairy tales.
Where Burj Al Babas is Located and How to Reach It
Burj Al Babas is a fairy-tale village abandoned, located in Bolu Province in Turkey. It is about 250 kilometers from Istanbul. Those who wish to visit typically start from this city by car and it takes around 3 hours; along the way you can stop to visit the splendid town of Mudurnu with Ottoman houses and many artisan shops.
