▲Around the world cities and projects have been facing the same hardships, resulting in many abandoned properties and half-finished luxury destinations, but none perhaps as eerie looking as this.

▲The mayor of Mudurnu, Mehmet Inegol, said that the construction complies with all regulations, adding that not a single tree was cut for development. Other critics still worry about the impact on nature.

▲Of which approximately 350 were actually sold to Arab investors.

▲The plan also includes a central shopping mall which is supposed to resemble the United States Capitol.

▲There is notably quite little space between the buildings, and the question of privacy has reportedly been a bit of an obstacle for buyers.

▲Burj al-Babas was designed to attract foreign buyers, who would presumably purchase these places as a vacation home.

▲That’s a quarter of the previous value required, which previously sat at US$1 million.

▲Turkey’s economic downturn began due to a few factors, including the decline of the nation’s currency.

▲Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered citizenship to foreigners who own a property in the country worth more than US$250,000 for three years.

▲Though they applied for bankruptcy, they won the right on appeal to continue trading so they can complete the contracted houses.

▲Perhaps what adds to the eeriness is that the homes all look the same, with their blue-grey roofs and Gothic traits, calling to mind Disney castles.

▲The villas will have a Jacuzzi on each level! Each mansion also has its own garden.

▲Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's immense spending on infrastructure projects, which required heavy loans from foreign banks, has been criticized for its role in the country’s massive foreign debts. As the value of the lira fell, foreign investors began to pull out of the projects, and the construction industry was hit hard.

▲The homes go for US$370,000 to US$500,000 each, clearly a price that only invites the eyes of wealthy Middle Eastern clientele.

▲Though there’s money left in the Burj al-Babas budget, the project’s developer, Sarot Group, has already sought bankruptcy protection.

▲According to the developers, the unsold castles would be divided into rented apartments or timeshares.

▲The abandoned villas reveal the dark underside of Turkey’s fairy-tale boom.

▲While Turkey had previously started to become a hot travel spot, the tourism sector also suffered big losses in 2016 due to a series of bombings, diplomatic tension with Russia, and a failed coup attempt.

▲Lakes and gardens will reportedly link the whole neighborhood, which spans over 250 acres.

▲Though they say they also drew on British and American architecture, many critics argue the appearance as looking nothing like the nation’s style.

▲The location was selected for its hot springs, which reportedly boast healing properties. Developers intended for the local hot springs to heat each home.

▲A lot of money was granted for this project, showing just how much investors were banking on the plan working.

▲

Calling all aspiring kings, queens, princes, and princesses: your castle awaits! If you have half a million dollars and a lot of optimism, that is.

In Turkey’s northwestern region lies a neighborhood of Disney-like miniature castles, fitted with steeples, grand balconies, multiple stories, and absolutely zero people. Laid out like a suburb, this dystopian kingdom of none nestled between dark forests has a deeply eerie feel to it.

But it started out with lavish hopes and grand dreams.

The Yerdelen brothers, construction entrepreneurs from Istanbul, were equipped with Turkey’s real estate boom when they started drawing up plans for what looks like a full-size Legoland display. They aimed high, pitching 700 castles, and felt confident in the natural draws of the lush land and Mediterranean climate.

Imagined as a luxury community, they aimed to attract wealthy Arabs from the Gulf countries, even naming the development the Burj al-Babas Thermal Tourism Company to boost their appeal.

They broke ground in 2014, employing 2,500 workers and progressing quickly, with the goal of completing the project in just four years. Along the way, however, they were hit with various economic and political obstacles that ground this multimillion-dollar project to a halt.

The chateaux-like villas now stand abandoned and unfinished, in what is quite the opposite of a fairy tale for their developers and investors.

Check out the gallery to see some impressive photos of the haunting buildings, and learn more about what lies in store for the strange, self-contained suburb of empty dream homes.

▲Because of the fraught state of the nation’s economy and the declining oil prices, buyers began backing out of their purchase and many were unable to come up with the money for payments.

▲The Sarot Group's chief executive officer, Mezher Yerdelen, told the NY Times, "You can drink the waters, and it cures stomach ailments and kidney stones. If you bathe in it, it heals skin problems, rheumatism, and slipped disks."

▲

As the country heads toward a recession, the Burj al-Babas' architects remain hopeful that the development will open by October 2019.

▲Homeowners can choose from three different layouts, and they have an option to install an indoor pool and an elevator.

▲The Turkish government has reportedly promised to build more transport links to the region, including a high-speed rail line between Istanbul and Ankara, with the aim of increasing interest in the northwestern region.

▲The castle-like homes sit empty around the Roman spa town of Mudurnu, at the base of Turkey's northwestern mountains.

▲According to the NY Times, the project’s developer, Sarot Group, drew on landmark buildings in Istanbul, including the Galata tower (pictured) and the medieval Maiden’s tower.

The twisted tale behind Turkey's deserted community of castles

A haunting abandoned kingdom

02/09/19 por StarsInsider

TRAVEL Curiosity

Calling all aspiring kings, queens, princes, and princesses: your castle awaits! If you have half a million dollars and a lot of optimism, that is.

But it started out with lavish hopes and grand dreams.

Imagined as a luxury community, they aimed to attract wealthy Arabs from the Gulf countries, even naming the development the Burj al-Babas Thermal Tourism Company to boost their appeal.

The chateaux-like villas now stand abandoned and unfinished, in what is quite the opposite of a fairy tale for their developers and investors.

Check out the gallery to see some impressive photos of the haunting buildings, and learn more about what lies in store for the strange, self-contained suburb of empty dream homes.