In the Turkish village of Mudurnu stands Turkey’s abandoned fairy-tale village—Burj Al Babas. The ghost town consists of hundreds of castle-like villas, originally built as a part of an elite residential scheme. What used to be a designer elite resort now lies abandoned, a reminder of an ambitious endeavour that unfortunately failed.
The Great Vision Behind Turkey’s Abandoned Fairy-Tale Village
The villas in this village were built with detailed balconies, turrets, and Gothic accents, adding a Disney-like touch. Interiors could also be customised to one’s liking, offering exclusivity in a cookie-cutter exterior. The developers hoped to attract wealthy foreign and Middle Eastern investors with such high-end features and fairy-tale details. However, despite its grand vision, Turkey’s abandoned fairy-tale village never reached completion.
The Project’s Collapse
Construction began in 2014, but in 2019, the firm behind the development went bankrupt, with 587 castles still under construction. The ambitious development, which had been initially worth $200 million, is today a grim reminder of the perils of overly ambitious real estate projects.
Burj Al Babas Today
Today, Burj Al Babas is a bizarre ghost town filled with ghost castles that have drawn interest from across the world. A line of identical houses with vegetation overgrowth all around them gives a virtually apocalyptic look. The uniformity and quietness in this village give a feeling of loss and sorrow. It has been rightly referred to as a ‘real-life ghost town.’
Burj Al Babas is where fantasy and reality meet—once dreamed of as a lavish retreat, now a ghostly testament to misplaced ambition. Strolling down its empty streets must be like entering a forgotten fairy tale.
Would you visit this dark yet fascinating village if you got the chance?
Cover Image Courtesy: @architectanddesign/Instagram and @kaizenexecutive/Instagram
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