The Turkish town of Burj Al Babas located near Mudurnu, about halfway between from the tourist hotspots of Istanbul and Ankara, presents an eerie sight. It lies deserted and abandoned, a decade after its construction commenced. The fairytale-like homes of Burj Al Babas were conceived by property moguls, the Yerdelen brothers, who helm the property development firm, the Sarot group.
Their vision was for the village to consist of 732 three-story luxury villas, constructed in the Western Gothic style. However, since the construction began in 2014, not a single house has been completed, leaving only empty shells standing at the site now. The brothers had optimistically predicted that the town would be finished within four years.
Initially, it seemed like a success, with about half of the castle-style homes being sold before their completion. However, the project has since been plagued with numerous setbacks. The first hurdle came in the form of complaints from disgruntled locals, many of whom were irked that the homes didn't blend in with the rest of the area, arguably becoming somewhat of an eyesore, reports the Mirror .
A subsequent lawsuit accused the developers of destroying trees and causing environmental damage. Following this, Turkey's economy took a nosedive, making property purchases in the country less attractive to wealthy foreigners, the exact demographic the Yerdelen brothers had hoped would snap up these luxury developments. In 2019, the situation worsened when the .