After spending a few hours in Sinop, I can very well understand why the Ottoman authorities, as well as the Justice Department of the modern Turkish Republic, all chose to set up their maximium security prison in Sinop. Unlike other harbour towns on the Aegean, where the air could get very dry and thin during the winter months, the air around Sinop is extremely humid and dense all year round, one could virtually smell that heavy saltiness all over the place. In addition, Sinop is situated on an isolated headland located at the northern-most point of Turkey, with only one route leading out of the promontory. Such unhealthy clime, which is detrimental to the health of the inmates in the long run - the authorities probably would prefer to have some of the political dissident inmates to rot away in the salty air -, coupled with the geogrpahical isolation of Sinop, makes it difficult fo convicts to escape.
If you ever try to reach Sinop by public transport, you would soon realise that this area is one of most inaccesible in the whole of Turkey. The road from Kastamonu to Sinop passed by countless road construction sites (a highway which cuts across numerous mountain valleys was being built), before ascending up a serpentine road that winds its way through steep hills and bending curves for at least 2 hours in the rugged countryside. Often the average speed of the bus does not exceed 50km/h due to the never ending construction works along the way.
The Sinop Fortress Prison (in Turkish a.k.a. Sinop Kale Cezaevi, or Sinop Kapali Cezaevi) is considered one of Turkey's most feared place of imprisonment. Built in 1887 as a maximum security state prison within the walls of the centuries-old Sinop Fortress, the Sinop prison had been in continuous use until 1997. Take a quick walk round the compound, and it is clear to all why the Sinop Prison had had such fearsome reputation among prisoners. Living conditions inside the Sinop Prison were very harsh due to its proximity to the sea and the resultant high moisture. One could smell the slimy taste of salt in the air, while the prison cells could be extremely dark and suffocating, especially those which are situated at the back of the complex. It is hardly surprising that mortality rates among inmates were extremely high.
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, many political prisoners and notable dissident intellectuals such as Nazim Hikmet and Sabahattin Ali were imprisoned here. The difficult conditions of the Sinop Prison and their time spent there were immortalised in their writings and poems.
Following the closure of the Sinop Prison in 1997, the entire complex and all surrounding facilities were handed over to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the Prison is now open to visitors. The thing is, despite its potential to become a mainstream tourist attraction, the whole prison complex is in a state of utter neglect and disrepair. Apparently no one at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Ankara bothers to do something about its conservation, since Sinop is not among the Top 10 tourist destinations in Turkey and the prison is relatively unknown outside Turkey.
In recent years, several popular films and TV serials were shot on location at Sinop Prison, thereby greatly contributing to its steady rise in popularity as a tourist attraction of choice. As a matter of fact, my decision to travel all the way to Sinop was influenced in part by a Turkish satire comedy movie 'Pardon!' (2004) which depicted the story of three friends falsely accused of robbery by the police and sent to Sinop Prison to serve their sentence.
On that day, I ran into a Turkish TV production unit filming some episodes of a serial drama within the prison complex. Some parts of the prison cells and administrative buildings are kept in relatively good conditions to faciliate the production of movies and TV shows, although most of the site is left to crumble in the moist salty air. It is such a shame that no concrete action has been taken so far to restore this historically significant site. It is time for the Turkish tourism authorities to realize that historical attractions should not be limited to renown Roman ruins or pre-historic archaeological excavations only. Sites which commemorate aspects of Turkey's turbulent modern history should also be given the attention they deserve.
The crews of the TV serial drama production team waiting at the entrance to Sinop Prison during production intervals. They spoke little English, but were amazed that someone from a non-Turkic country was interested in this aspect of Turkey's history. Indeed, foreign tourists are a rare sight in Sinop, because this is certainly not an usual destination unless you are really interested in all these histories. A group of Turkish visitors could not help to hide their surprise that someone from outside of Turkey actually knows about this notorious prison and travelled all the way to Sinop to visit the complex!!
The Sinop Fortress Prison (in Turkish a.k.a. Sinop Kale Cezaevi, or Sinop Kapali Cezaevi) is considered one of Turkey's most feared place of imprisonment. Built in 1887 as a maximum security state prison within the walls of the centuries-old Sinop Fortress, the Sinop prison had been in continuous use until 1997. Take a quick walk round the compound, and it is clear to all why the Sinop Prison had had such fearsome reputation among prisoners. Living conditions inside the Sinop Prison were very harsh due to its proximity to the sea and the resultant high moisture. One could smell the slimy taste of salt in the air, while the prison cells could be extremely dark and suffocating, especially those which are situated at the back of the complex. It is hardly surprising that mortality rates among inmates were extremely high.
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, many political prisoners and notable dissident intellectuals such as Nazim Hikmet and Sabahattin Ali were imprisoned here. The difficult conditions of the Sinop Prison and their time spent there were immortalised in their writings and poems.
Following the closure of the Sinop Prison in 1997, the entire complex and all surrounding facilities were handed over to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the Prison is now open to visitors. The thing is, despite its potential to become a mainstream tourist attraction, the whole prison complex is in a state of utter neglect and disrepair. Apparently no one at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Ankara bothers to do something about its conservation, since Sinop is not among the Top 10 tourist destinations in Turkey and the prison is relatively unknown outside Turkey.
In recent years, several popular films and TV serials were shot on location at Sinop Prison, thereby greatly contributing to its steady rise in popularity as a tourist attraction of choice. As a matter of fact, my decision to travel all the way to Sinop was influenced in part by a Turkish satire comedy movie 'Pardon!' (2004) which depicted the story of three friends falsely accused of robbery by the police and sent to Sinop Prison to serve their sentence.
On that day, I ran into a Turkish TV production unit filming some episodes of a serial drama within the prison complex. Some parts of the prison cells and administrative buildings are kept in relatively good conditions to faciliate the production of movies and TV shows, although most of the site is left to crumble in the moist salty air. It is such a shame that no concrete action has been taken so far to restore this historically significant site. It is time for the Turkish tourism authorities to realize that historical attractions should not be limited to renown Roman ruins or pre-historic archaeological excavations only. Sites which commemorate aspects of Turkey's turbulent modern history should also be given the attention they deserve.
The crews of the TV serial drama production team waiting at the entrance to Sinop Prison during production intervals. They spoke little English, but were amazed that someone from a non-Turkic country was interested in this aspect of Turkey's history. Indeed, foreign tourists are a rare sight in Sinop, because this is certainly not an usual destination unless you are really interested in all these histories. A group of Turkish visitors could not help to hide their surprise that someone from outside of Turkey actually knows about this notorious prison and travelled all the way to Sinop to visit the complex!!
Copyrights@2010. All Rights Reserved. All text and photos by YC Cheng.
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