Sultanahmet, Cankurtaran, Tevkifhane St. No:1, 34122 Fatih/Istanbul, Turkey
Sultanahmet Prison (Sultanahmet Cezaevi) is a former Turkish prison in Istanbul. It is now a luxury hotel, the Four Seasons, located in the Sultanahmet neighborhood of the Fatih district on the historic peninsula.
The prison was built between 1918 and 1919. At that time, it was the first prison in the capital of the Ottoman Empire constructed according to a modern concept, taking into account the regulation of daily life and relations with the outside world for inmates awaiting trial or serving short sentences. The building was designed in the style of Turkish neoclassicism at the beginning of the period known as the "First National Architecture." It was built next to the courthouse building, which was originally constructed in 1845 as a university (Ottoman Darülfünun). The inscription in Ottoman on the main gates of the building states that this institution is called the "Capital Prison for Murderers" (Dersaadet Cinayet Tevkifhanesi).
The detention center also housed minors and women. After the establishment of the Sağmalcılar Prison, inmates were transferred to the new location, and on January 25, 1969, the prison was abandoned. Later, during military rule, the building continued to be used as a military prison.
After being closed for several years, the prison reopened from 1980 to 1986, during which time it held political prisoners. Many well-known figures were imprisoned here, including communist leaders, writers, journalists, artists, and intellectual dissidents.
Billy Hayes — writer, actor, and film director. Billy Hayes spent one night in Sultanahmet Prison after his arrest in 1970, then was sent to Sağmalcılar Prison.
Mihri Belli — communist leader
Deniz Gezmiş — militant
Nazım Hikmet — poet, imprisoned in 1938/1939 and again in 1950
Rıfat Ilgaz — lecturer and writer
Orhan Kemal — writer
Hikmet Kıvılcımlı — communist leader
Aziz Nesin — humorist
Kemal Tahir — writer
Vedat Türkali — screenwriter
In 1992, after a long period of neglect, a project was considered to repurpose the building as a hotel. The prison building, which holds great significance in terms of art history and architecture, was to undergo thorough reconstruction and open as a luxury hotel under the management of Regent Hotels, named "The Regent Istanbul." After Regent was acquired by Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts in 1992, the project was renamed and opened in 1996 as the "Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet." The hotel was closed in 2020 for comprehensive renovation and reopened on December 1, 2021.
The hotel has preserved its original architecture from the time it functioned as a prison. The watchtowers, officially used as guard observation posts, still stand, while other details remain original, such as the tall windows, wide corridors, and high ceilings.
The hotel is surrounded by a central inner courtyard that once served as the prison yard. It is now a lush oasis where guests can relax, dine, and enjoy peace and quiet.
Notably, from an architectural perspective, little has changed since the institution operated as a prison. The watchtowers, officially used as guard observation posts, still stand, and other features remain original, such as the tall windows, wide corridors, and high ceilings. Decorative wrought iron grilles covering the windows on the lower floor remain from the prison days.
There are still a few reminders of the complex’s legendary past. For example, inside the building near the elevator, there is an original marble column. If you look closely at its surface, you can still see graffiti left by several inmates who carved their names into it.
The hotel is surrounded by a central inner courtyard that served as the prison yard, where men, women, and children (born to female inmates who arrived pregnant) walked back and forth doing their daily exercises. The floors were separated by a high wall. The landscaped inner courtyard has now turned into a serene oasis of lush greenery, where guests enjoy a relaxed, elegant atmosphere. Surrounded by stone walls with a small mosque for prayers in one corner, the courtyard is surprisingly quiet considering the noise and bustle of the lively historic district where the hotel is located.
The prison was mentioned in Graham Greene’s 1932 thriller "Stamboul Train" and is referenced in the poem by American poet Myra Shapiro "For Nazım Hikmet in the Old Prison, Now the Four Seasons Hotel."
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultanahmet_Jail
