Sultanahmet Jail

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Sultanahmet Jail (Turkish: Sultanahmet Cezaevi), 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.

Contents 1 History 2 Notable inmates 3 Conversion into hotel 4 In literature 5 References

[edit] History

Built in 1918/1919, it was the first jailhouse in the capital of the Ottoman Empire, 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 (Ottoman Turkish: Darülfünun). An inscription in Ottoman language upon the main gate of the building states the name of the facility as the "Capital City Murder Jail" (Ottoman Turkish: Dersaadet Cinayet Tevkifhanesi).^[1] It is a four-story building with guard towers enclosing a courtyard.^[2]

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.^[3] Later during the military rule, the building continued to be used as a military jailhouse.

[edit] Notable inmates

Sultanahmet Jail served mostly as a prison reserved for writers, journalists, artists as intellectual dissidents sentenced.

The most renowned inmate was the Turkish poet Nazım Hikmet (1901-1963), who was imprisoned here in 1938/1939 and later in 1950 again.^[4][5] Among other prominent intellectual inmates were humorist Aziz Nesin (1915-1995), communist leaders Dr. Hikmet Kivilcimli (1902-1971) and Mihri Belli (1916), novelists Orhan Kemal (1914-1970) and Kemal Tahir (1910-1973), lecturer and writer Rıfat Ilgaz (1911-1993) and screenwriter Vedat Türkali (1919) ^[6][7][8] Further notable inmate was militant Deniz Gezmiş (1947-1972).^[9]

[edit] Conversion into hotel

In 1992, after a long period of neglect, a redevelopment project was considered to convert the building into a hotel.^[10] 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-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.^[11] 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.^[12]

The hotel was awarded by many branch magazines such as Condé Nast Traveler, Gallivanter's Guide, Travel + Leisure and Zagat.^[13] 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.^[14]

[edit] In literature

The jailhouse was mentioned in Graham Greene's 1932 thriller novel Stamboul Train.^[15]

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.^[16]

[edit] References

Coordinates: 40°59′83″N 28°58′48″E / 41.00639, 28.98