All over the world, there are impressive ghost buildings that seem straight out of fairy tales or Disney’s imagination. These places awaken feelings of mystery and curiosity. A fascinating example is the abandoned castle town of Burj Al Babas in Turkey. There you can find a series of Disney-style castles, built next to each other, which at first glance can seem somewhat sinister.
The mystery of the city of abandoned castles, Burj Al Babas,
Located in the Turkish province of Buru, halfway between Istanbul and Ankara and near the city of Mudurnu, the abandoned castles of Burj Al Babas number 587 in total. Some of them are still unfinished and none of them were inhabited. This site turns out to be a true enigma that emanates a strange beauty and at the same time a great mystery.
However, like everything it has its history, and Burj Al Babas has it too. It originated as a housing project for the upper class, a luxury town. The idea of its builders was to attract Arab investors from Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates or Saudi Arabia.
They planned to build 700 castles with a final cost of between 380 thousand and 500 thousand euros each. With royal comforts, incredible views and eccentricities such as including a jacuzzi on each floor.
The reason for failure
The project started in 2014 and the delivery date to the new owners is just 4 years away. However, an almost endless series of problems completely stopped the work.
Initially, they destroyed many hectares of land suitable for planting and where they also cut down thousands of trees. Another problem was the economic situation that Turkey was going through and also the crisis of low oil prices experienced in those years.
Added to all this was the complaint from the neighbors, since the ostentatious view of the complex of buildings clashed with the Ottoman architectural designs. Likewise, the 587 units almost completed did not satisfy investors who began to withdraw from the project.
The castles seem stacked, they are built very close to each other, like on the board of a board game. They did not leave free land separating the buildings from each other. Residents would have no room for privacy or to build, for example, a swimming pool in their park.
Burj al Babas today
This was the main reason why most of the owners canceled the purchase and the construction company filed for bankruptcy.
Currently, the town of Burj Al Babas has become a tourist attraction for thousands of people who visit the area, mainly out of curiosity. Some can glimpse the imaginary magic of Disney castles in the town. Others only see a post-apocalyptic place in the best way of a horror movie like “The Walking Dead.” In any case, the people of Burj Al Babas and its creators are in the hands of justice and face a debt of 27 million dollars.
