This Turkish Fairytale Town Did Not Get Its Happily Ever After

If there is one thing that all living generations can bond over, it’s the fact that we all grew up with fairytales—the classics by Hans Christian Andersen, the often-ridiculous adventures of Mickey Mouse, or the more recent tales of wayward princes and princesses that have seeped their way into pop culture.

An upbringing of such exposure undoubtedly brings forth dreams of pure fantasy. Some dissipate with the onslaught of adulthood, and some crawl their way into the crevices of our minds, waiting for fulfillment. And sometimes, those dreams may actualise in the form of a larger-than-life fairytale castle…or 700.

Such was the dream chased by Turkish development group Sarot, who, in 2014, had the genius idea to build a land reminiscent of ones hitherto reserved for fairies, elves, and magically-blessed humanoids—a residential compound made up of hundreds of Disney castles.

For a time, that dream came true by the Black Sea coast in Mudurnu, Turkey. After all, who in their right mind would not want to occupy a magical chateau amidst a green expanse? Or live like Cinderella (post-slipper) in the Turkish countryside?

When construction began on the opulent residential compound, which drew inspiration from gothic architecture and grand monarchical dwellings, under the name ‘Burj al Babas’—an ode to a historical bathhouse from the Ottoman era—it was, needless to say, coveted. The project drew the attention of hundreds of Turkish families seeking an upscale, fantastical community, and even caught the whims of many a global homehunter. So, what went wrong?

Well, quite a bit, actually, but let’s lay down a few facts first. Slated to be sold between USD 370,000 and USD 530,000 (not adjusted for inflation), the individual palaces—set to total over 730 residences—were fashioned after Istanbul’s Galata and Maiden towers. Each ‘castle’ came in a dreamy shade of ivory, with rooftops in a uniform navy. From the balustrades to the shutters to the cylindrical towers brimming with dormer windows, each detail was carefully designed for a feel of utmost splendour. Yet, the debt the construction company soon incurred was anything but luxe—a shock strong enough to awaken Sleeping Beauty from her slumber.

Though almost half these residences—unfinished—had been sold by 2019, Sarot Group soon declared bankruptcy, owing to a stall in sales, concerns from locals regarding environmental damage, and an inability to keep up with the costs of building hundreds of castles, which had gone over the initial budget of USD 200 million. What then happened to this earth-bound fairytale fantasy? Well, it certainly did not get its happy ending.

Today, Burj al Babas is an abandoned ghost town; one reserved for the nightly whispers of Turkey’s fauna and the creaking of rusted iron. Had the tides flowed in their favour and the project reached completion, would Burj al Babas stand populated today? Well, while one cannot foresee alternate timelines, there remains one arguably detrimental facet to Burj al Babas that perhaps was not considered…Would someone who seeks palatial living be so comfortable cramped up next to hundreds of other identical palaces? Perhaps not.

Though the residences are grand—that is beyond argument—they leave privacy wanting. After all, can Rapunzel risk letting her hair down for her prince only for it to get caught in Elsa’s laundry? Likely not. Though the vision for Burj al Babas was admirable, and in fact, awe-inducing, there were a few faults in several stars from the get-go. Since the project never reached completion, and likely never will, how it would have fared remains a question unanswered.

If you, however, by any chance, find yourself on an empty morning touring Mudurnu, Turkey, Burj al Babas is one sight you should not miss—though from afar, one cannot be certain if ghosts have cosied up within its alleyways.