Burj Al Babas is an abandoned residential development located near

Mudurnu Mudurnu is a small town and a district of Bolu Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, 52 km south-west of the city of Bolu. It covers an area of 1,349 km², and the population (2011) is 20,528 of which 4,936 live in the town of Mudur ...

, Turkey with 732 nearly identical houses, each designed to resemble a miniature chateau. The site, under development by the Sarot Group, was abandoned in 2019 after the developers filed for bankruptcy with a debt of $27 million.

Original concept

The Burj Al Babas project involved the construction of 732 three-story luxury villas, all very similar to each other and characterised by elements of Gothic, English and American architecture. Meanwhile, the cylindrical towers with dormer windows and the square towers with balustrades were inspired in particular by the

Galata Tower The Galata Tower ( tr, Galata Kulesi), officially the Galata Kulesi Museum ( tr, Galata Kulesi Müzesi), is an old Genoese tower in the Galata part of the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul, Turkey. Built as a watchtower at the highest point of the ...

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

, built in the

late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Renai ...

by the Genoese, and by the so-called

Maiden's Tower __NOTOC__ The Maiden's Tower ( tr, Kız Kulesi), also known as Leander's Tower (''Tower of Leandros'') since the medieval Byzantine period, is a tower on a small islet at the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait, from the coast of Ü ...

, located on an island in the Bosphorus Strait, a few hundred metres from the city. According to the original brochure, the centre of the complex was to include a domed structure containing a shopping centre, health and beauty facilities such as

Turkish baths A hammam ( ar, حمّام, translit=ḥammām, tr, hamam) or Turkish bath is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited ...

, a

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

, a movie theatre, and other facilities open to resident

The houses were on sale for between $370,000 and $530,000. Aiming for the Arab market, the partners named the development the ''Burj Al Babas Thermal Tourism Company'' and began marketing the houses through their real estate agency in Kuwait. The site in the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

region of Turkey was situated near the region's hot springs. Excavations on the site revealed that 200 meters underground, the water temperature reached 68 degrees Celsius or 154 degrees Fahrenheit.

Complications

Construction began on the complex in 2014. Using 2,500 workers, the developers aimed to finish the project in four years. The development was originally successful with approximately half of the castles selling in advance. In 2018 sales eventually stalled, causing the developer to enter bankruptcy. Falling oil prices and instability in Turkey were cited as reasons for the slump in sales. The mayor of

, Mehmet Inegol, remained confident that the project would begin again. As of 2021, however, 587 of the planned 732 homes were started, with very few reaching the landscaping phase. None were finished.

In popular culture

Burj Al Babas is the setting for the music video of "Lose Control", a 2019 song by Meduza,

Becky Hill Rebecca Claire Hill (born 14 February 1994) is a British singer from Bewdley, England. She rose to prominence after appearing on the first series of the then BBC (now ITV) talent contest '' The Voice UK'', auditioning with John Legend's "Ord ...

and Goodboys. The music video for "Sober" by French electronic musician SebastiAn was partially shot in Burj Al Babas.

Gaspard Augé Gaspard Augé (; born 21 May 1979 in Besançon) is a French musician and graphic designer. He is one of the two members of French electronic music duo Justice. Biography Augé was born into a family of Protestant industrialists from Besançon, ...

, also a French electronic musician, shot two music videos for "Belladone" and the title track from his 2021 album '' Escapades'' in Burj Al Babas. The rapper Quadeca used this location in the music video for the song "Fractions of Infinity" featuring Sunday Service Choir.

References

{{coords, 40.44451, 31.20215, dim:500m, display=title Buildings and structures in Turkey Unfinished buildings and structures Ghost towns in Asia Ghost towns in Europe Mudurnu District