“Most of us have probably imagined living in a castle at some point, whether during childhood, enchanted by fairy tales, or as adults studying European monarchies. Considering this fascination, what would you think if you had the chance to buy your castle?“ writes the online magazine archdaily in an article about a ghost town in Turkey.
The ghost town in Turkey looks like a dystopian Disneyland. © Esin Deniz/ Shutterstock (Photo linked with archdaily)
According to archdaily the whole story started in 2014 when some real estate developers and investors worldwide launched a project they declared do be “Turkey’s largest ultra luxurious resorts, featuring mosques, beauty salons, Turkish baths with the region’s thermal waters, and a shoppsing center with architecture reminiscent of the U.S. Capitol. All of this was surrounded by 732 Disney castle-like homes, a somewhat awkward reproduction of the historical archetype.“ The project was called Burj Al Babas
And the sales of Burj al Babas were a success. Half of the units sold quickly upon the project’s launch, primarily to clients from Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates seeking summer homes.
© Esin Deniz/ Shutterstock (Photo linked with archdaily)
But in 2018, as “the global real estate market and economy deteriorated, and the Turkish lira depreciated, Sarot Group found itself burdened with debt and declared bankruptcy. They abandoned 587 units that were under construction. In the subsequent years, the company repeatedly expressed hopes of resuming the project, even mentioning prospects of selling another 100 castles to help settle debts, but this never materialized. Six years later, the nearly 600 abandoned castles create a surreal scene, as if Disney had imagined a princess tale in a dystopian future.“
© Esin Deniz/ Shutterstock (Photo linked with archdaily)
According to archdaily a multinational American company is planning to continue Burj Al Babas’s development. It remains to be seen which direction the new company will take: whether it will capitalize on the fame and turn the complex into a unique tourist attraction, or opt for rehabilitation with architectural modifications to soften the “kitsch effect”. Perhaps it is time for the princess’s dream to transform.
