Inside Abandoned Ghost Town That Cost $200 Million And Is Filled With Castles

There's a town on this planet that was under construction as part of a $200 million project.

It's filled with castles, and nothing else. No occupants, no sign of life, nothing.

Located in Turkey, Burj Al Babas looks like something from Disney World. Although it's much, much gloomier.

The ghost town can be found near Mudurnu. It's a small town to the north of the country, roughly a two-hour drive from the Black Sea.

More than 500 castles lay abandoned in Burj Al Babas, Turkey. Chris McGrath/Getty Images

There are 587 abandoned miniature castles grouped throughout the village.

There was supposed to be 732 three-story luxury villas.

Nothing about this place sounds luxurious, although it was supposed to be when construction started in 2014.

All the castles would consist of a jacuzzi on each of its three floors, as well as underfloor heating.

According to the original brochure sent out to customers, it was expected that the center of the site would have a large domed structure.

This structure would consist of a shopping center, health and beauty facilities, a mosque, and a cinema.

But halfway through making them, developer Sarot Group ran out of money.

They filed for bankruptcy with a debt of $5 million.

Sarot Group had hoped to catch the eye of flashy tourists looking to buy a holiday home in the Turkish sun. They were priced between $370,000 and $530,000.

Burj Al Babas may never be complete after plans to finish construction was abandoned in 2019 Adem ALTAN / AFP/ ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Meaning, if they were all sold for the minimum amount, Sarot Group would have landed $270 million.

But that wasn't to be, as the decision was made to completely abandon the site in 2019. Initially hiring 2,500 workers, the developers had hoped to finish within four years.

It was actually successful in the beginning, with half of the castles selling before work had finished. But in 2018, sales came to an abrupt end.

Falling oil prices and instability in Turkey were pinned as the reasons for the sales drying up.

It was then that Sarot Group entered bankruptcy. However, the mayor of Mudurnu, Mehmet Ä°negöl, was confident that it would be completed. Although to date, not one house has been finished.

The locals had their backs up from the start, and can you blame them? Yes, when construction began, they fumed at the gothic looks of the castles.

They explained that the castles did not resemble anything from the local area and that they would stick out from the countryside.

Then they fumed some more, claiming the developers were chopping trees down and damaging the environment.

Will we ever see the Burj Al Babas complete?