“Turkey 🇹🇷 ~Prison, Turned Hotel in Istanbul”
The Four-Season Hotel in Istanbul is very, very nice! The fact it was a prison, before it became a five-star Hotel, is quite interesting.
The Hotel staff welcomed us inside, for a look around. On the inside, you would never know it once housed prisoners, but then after walking into the courtyard, it is here, I could see what used to be a prison courtyard. But, what once was perhaps a drab grey building with a tired and worn concrete deck, now has a colorful flower garden with green grass and statues. Long gone are the fences with barbed wire, and anything painted drab grey; being refurbished with a bright yellow exterior finish, and lovely flower boxes in the windows.
The concept of a modern prison arose in the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century as part of Westernization movements. Westernization brought about certain reforms in the new constitution and judiciary mechanisms. In addition to the establishment of new institutions such as the prosecutor’s office, the notary and office of judicial inspection, the Kanun-i Esasi (Ottoman Constitution, or literally “Basic Law),” also initiated a transition from dungeons to prisons. The first regulations, or “nizamname”s as these were called; regarding prison reform, were also a product of this period. In 1831, the practice of Istanbul dungeons were abolished. The notion of a ”prison sentence” was then adopted in penal codes dated 1840, 1851 and 1858.
When it opened in 1918-1919 the Sultanahmet Prison was called “Dersaadet Cinayet Tevkifhanesi” (literally meaning, the “Capital City or Istanbul Murder Jail).” Functioning as such until 1969, it was closed after the construction of the Bayrampaşa Prison. Until this date, the shackles convicts were bound with, remained in place on the walls of cells, submerged underground. After a break of 11 years, it was repaired and reopened so as to hold political prisoners. It also served as a military prison facility, from 1980 to 1986. Later, increasing need, led to an enlargement of the prison’s capacity.
In 1996, it officially opened its doors as the luxury Four Seasons Sultanahmet. The wards and cells that once forcibly hosted Turkey’s intellectuals, artists and oppositional figures, turned into much-demanded rooms, which were rarely vacant and available only at very high prices.
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Hello and Welcome to our Travel Blog Website, We enjoy writing about our experiences and taking photos of our adventuring along the way. Our names are: Daryl and Pen, but Daryl calls me “Bunny.” We met, quite randomly, whilst both… Read More