Sultanahmet Jail
Encyclopedia
Sultanahmet Jail a former prison
in Istanbul
, Turkey
, is now the luxury Four Seasons Hotel at Sultanahmet. It is located in Sultanahmet neighborhood of Eminönü
district on the historical peninsula.
, constructed in a contemporary concept considering the regulation of the daily life and relationship with the outside of inmates, who were awaiting trial or serving brief sentences. The building was designed in Turkish neoclassical style in the beginning of the period called "First National Architecture". It was built next to the courthouse
building, which was constructed in 1845 initially as university . An inscription in Ottoman language upon the main gate of the building states the name of the facility as the "Capital City Murder Jail" . It is a four-story building with guard towers enclosing a courtyard.
In the jailhouse, juveniles and women were also detained. Following the establishment of the Sağmalcılar Prison, the inmates were transferred to the new site and the jail was abandoned on January 25, 1969. Later during the military rule, the building continued to be used as a military jailhouse.
s sentenced.
was renovated and opened in 1996 as a deluxe hotel of the Toronto
-based Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
chain.
The Four Seasons Hotel at Sultanahmet is situated on Tevkifhane Sokak (literally: Jailhouse Street), just steps away from historical sites such as Hagia Sophia
, the Blue Mosque
, the Hippodrome
and Topkapi Palace
. It is a boutique style hotel for merely 130 guests in 65 guest rooms including 11 suites.
The hotel's restaurant features a landscaped garden in the glass-covered courtyard and an outdoor terrace with a seating capacity for 55 people in winter and 95 people in summer.
The hotel was awarded by many branch magazines such as Condé Nast Traveler
, Gallivanter's Guide, Travel + Leisure
and Zagat. Hotel's general manager Marcos Bekhit was appointed in 2007 the top executive of the newly established second Four Seasons Hotel Bosphorus in Istanbul and was succeeded by Tarek Mourad.
's 1932 thriller novel Stamboul Train
.
The site was featured also in the poem "For Nazim Hikmet in the Old Prison, Now a Four Seasons Hotel" by the American poet Myra Shapiro.
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, is now the luxury Four Seasons Hotel at Sultanahmet. It is located in Sultanahmet neighborhood of Eminönü
Eminönü
Eminönü is a former district of Istanbul in Turkey, now a neighbourhood of Fatih district. This is the heart of the walled city of Constantine, the focus of a history of incredible richness. Eminönü covers the point on which the Byzantine capital was built. The Galata Bridge crosses the Golden Horn...
district on the historical peninsula.
History
Built in 1918/1919, it was the first jailhouse in the capital of the Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, constructed in a contemporary concept considering the regulation of the daily life and relationship with the outside of inmates, who were awaiting trial or serving brief sentences. The building was designed in Turkish neoclassical style in the beginning of the period called "First National Architecture". It was built next to the courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
building, which was constructed in 1845 initially as university . An inscription in Ottoman language upon the main gate of the building states the name of the facility as the "Capital City Murder Jail" . It is a four-story building with guard towers enclosing a courtyard.
In the jailhouse, juveniles and women were also detained. Following the establishment of the Sağmalcılar Prison, the inmates were transferred to the new site and the jail was abandoned on January 25, 1969. Later during the military rule, the building continued to be used as a military jailhouse.
Notable inmates
Sultanahmet Jail served mostly as a prison reserved for writers, journalists, artists as intellectual dissidentDissident
A dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
s sentenced.
- Mihri BelliMihri BelliMihri Belli was a prominent leader of the socialist movement in Turkey. He was legendary for having fought on the partisan side in the Greek Civil War....
(1916–2011) communist leader, - Deniz GezmişDeniz GezmisDeniz Gezmiş was a Turkish Marxist-Leninist revolutionary and political activist in the Turkey in the late 1960s...
(1947–1972) militant, - Nazım HikmetNazim HikmetNâzım Hikmet Ran , commonly known as Nâzım Hikmet , was a Turkish poet, playwright, novelist and memoirist. He was acclaimed for the "lyrical flow of his statements"...
(1901–1963) poet, in 1938/1939 and later in 1950 again. - Rıfat IlgazRifat IlgazRıfat Ilgaz was a poet who was born in Cide, Kastamonu, Turkey. He was a teacher, poet, and writer. Ilgaz was one of Turkey’s best-known and most prolific poets and writers, having authored over sixty works.-Biography:...
(1911–1993) lecturer and writer, - Orhan KemalOrhan KemalOrhan Kemal is the pen name of Turkish novelist Mehmet Raşit Öğütçü. He is known for his realist novels that tells the stories of the poor in Turkey....
(1914–1970) novelist, - Hikmet Kıvılcımlı (1902–1971) communist leader,
- Aziz NesinAziz NesinAziz Nesin was a famous Turkish writer and humorist of Crimean Tatar origin and author of more than 100 books.-Pseudonyms:...
(1915–1995) humorist, - Kemal TahirKemal TahirKemal Tahir was a prominent Turkish novelist and intellectual. Tahir spent 13 years of his life imprisoned due to political reasons and wrote some of his most important novels during this time...
(1910–1973) novelists, - Vedat Türkali (1919) screenwriter.
Conversion into hotel
In 1992, after a long period of neglect, a redevelopment project was considered to convert the building into a hotel. The jailhouse, having great significance in terms of history of art and architecture,was renovated and opened in 1996 as a deluxe hotel of the Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
-based Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
Four Seasons Hotels, Inc. is a Canadian-based international ultra-luxury, five-star hotel management company. Travel + Leisure magazine and Zagat Survey rank the hotel chain's 84 properties among the top luxury hotels worldwide...
chain.
The Four Seasons Hotel at Sultanahmet is situated on Tevkifhane Sokak (literally: Jailhouse Street), just steps away from historical sites such as Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey...
, the Blue Mosque
Blue Mosque
Blue Mosque may refer to:* Blue Mosque, Tabriz, Iran, 1465* Rawze-e-Sharif, Mazari Sharif, Afghanistan, 1512* Sultan Ahmed Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey, 1616* Blue Mosque, Yerevan, Armenia, 1766* Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Mosque, Shah Alam, Malaysia, 1982...
, the Hippodrome
Hippodrome of Constantinople
The Hippodrome of Constantinople was a circus that was the sporting and social centre of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Today it is a square named Sultanahmet Meydanı in the Turkish city of Istanbul, with only a few fragments of the original structure surviving...
and Topkapi Palace
Topkapi Palace
The Topkapı Palace is a large palace in Istanbul, Turkey, that was the primary residence of the Ottoman Sultans for approximately 400 years of their 624-year reign....
. It is a boutique style hotel for merely 130 guests in 65 guest rooms including 11 suites.
The hotel's restaurant features a landscaped garden in the glass-covered courtyard and an outdoor terrace with a seating capacity for 55 people in winter and 95 people in summer.
The hotel was awarded by many branch magazines such as Condé Nast Traveler
Condé Nast Traveler
Condé Nast Traveler is a US magazine published by Condé Nast. It has its origins in a mailing sent out by the Diners Club club beginning in 1953, listing locations that would take the card. It began taking advertising in 1955. In order to attract more advertisers, it became a full-fledged magazine,...
, Gallivanter's Guide, Travel + Leisure
Travel + Leisure
Travel + Leisure is a travel magazine based in New York City, New York. Published 12 times a year, it has 4.8 million readers, according to its corporate media kit. It is put out by American Express Publishing Corporation, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Express Company led by...
and Zagat. Hotel's general manager Marcos Bekhit was appointed in 2007 the top executive of the newly established second Four Seasons Hotel Bosphorus in Istanbul and was succeeded by Tarek Mourad.
In literature
The jailhouse was mentioned in Graham GreeneGraham Greene
Henry Graham Greene, OM, CH was an English author, playwright and literary critic. His works explore the ambivalent moral and political issues of the modern world...
's 1932 thriller novel Stamboul Train
Stamboul Train
Stamboul Train is a novel by author Graham Greene. A thriller set on an Orient Express train, it was renamed Orient Express when it was published in the United States.-Plot introduction:...
.
The site was featured also in the poem "For Nazim Hikmet in the Old Prison, Now a Four Seasons Hotel" by the American poet Myra Shapiro.