Surrounded by the sea on three sides and located within the walls of the historical Sinop Castle, Sinop Prison has long been known as the Alcatraz of Anatolia, with the phrase “What goes in, never comes out.” This building, which was closed as a prison in 1999, was converted into a museum in 2000. During its time, the prison hosted the imprisonment of important figures from the world of literature and politics.
There is a wide range of famous names buried here, from writers to journalists, from politicians to activists. Historical Sinop PrisonIn the archives of , traces and memories of the lives of these important people are preserved.
Among the most famous texts written in Sinop Prison, Sabahattin Ali’s poems undoubtedly stand out. “Don’t Mind, Heart”, “It’s Spring Outside” And “A Bandit Cannot Rule the World” His poems, among the people, “Prison Song” While it is known as, “Wall” The story of “The Prisoner” reflects life in depth. Also, Refik Halit Karay’s “Hometown Stories” In his book titled “Joke” The story tells a story that took place in Sinop in 1915. Many prisoners who were held in Sinop Prison wrote down their memories and experiences, and included important details about life in Sinop in these writings.
Features and History of Sinop Closed Prison
The Historical Sinop Closed Prison, officially known as the Historical Prison, was once “Anatolia’s Alcatraz” It was a prison known as and closed in 1999. It was converted into a museum in 2000. In 2020, restoration work began on both the interior and exterior. The prison is a two-story building, built in a U-plan and made of cut stone and brick. There is a basement in the southern part of the building, while the other parts have a ground floor and an upper floor. There are a total of 28 wards.
Sinop Prison was built by the Gascans about 4000 years ago. The Greeks, Pontus, Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks and Ottomans protected and strengthened this castle in their own times. The oldest documents on the use of the prison date back to 1568.
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Evliya Çelebi described this dungeon in his travelogue as follows:
“It is a large and scary castle. It has 300 iron gates, giant guards, many fierce prisoners whose arms are tied to iron bars and 10 men are hung from each of their moustaches. The guards roam around its bastions like dragons. God forbid, not only would they not let a prisoner escape from there, they would not even let a bird fly.”
The prison’s inner castle officially began to be used as a dungeon in 1887. During this period, Sinop Governor Veysel Pasha added a bathhouse as well as new buildings. In 1939, a special prison building for children was built.
Sabahattin Ali described Sinop Prison in his story “The Wall” with the following words:
“For a long time I was in a prison by the sea and within the walls. The sound of the water hitting the thick walls would echo in the stone rooms and call me to distant journeys. The sea birds that rose behind the walls with water dripping from their feathers would look at the iron bars in amazement and immediately fly away.”
If you are curious about a true story that took place in Sinop Prison, you can read the book Sarı Mestan by Yılmaz Yavuz. This work provides a detailed and impressive look at the history of the prison and the events that took place there.
“I hate Sinop, the roof of Sinop! They pulled out two nails of the ten fingers of my two hands that God gave me in Sinop Dungeon! Then… They threw me in the dungeon. In the coldest month of winter; my hands were numb from the cold, the water was frozen, my blood was frozen, my hands were covered in blood, those fingers were as if they did not belong to me… The dungeon was pitch dark, the concrete floor was wet inside, I fainted, groaning and freezing… After three days and three nights, they took me out of the dungeon… When I opened my eyes, I found myself alone in a hospital room!”
Famous names such as Crimean Khan II. Devlet Giray, Sabahattin Ali, Refik Halit Karay, Mustafa Suphi, Ahmet Bedevi Kuran, Ruhi Su, Burhan Felek, Zekeriya Sertel, Refi’ Cevad Ulunay, Celal Zühtü Benneci, Hüseyin Hilmi, Osman Cemal Kaygılı, Kerim Korcan and Osman Deniz were also imprisoned in this prison.
Famous Names in the History of Sinop Prison
Sinop Prison has hosted many famous names throughout history. This feature has caused the structure to inspire the memoirs, stories and poems of many writers. Among the famous names in prison are a wide range of people from politicians to writers and statesmen. Here are some of these famous names:
Sabahattin Ali
Sabahattin Ali, one of the important writers of Turkish literature, was in Sinop Prison between December 26, 1932 and October 29, 1933. The incident that caused Ali to go to prison was that he wrote a poem insulting Atatürk.
In Sabahattin Ali’s poems and stories, it is possible to see traces of the difficult conditions of the period and the conditions of Sinop Prison. In his letters, the author clearly expressed the change he experienced when he came to Sinop. The single cell where Ali stayed in Sinop Prison, his bed and his saz are still open to visitors today.
When you visit the solitary cell where Sabahattin Ali is staying in prison and see his bed and saz, remember these words that came from his pen:
Crazy waves outside
He comes and licks the walls
These sounds distract you
Don’t mind my heart, don’t mind
It ends with bullets firing
The roads gradually end
Prison ends when you lie down
Don’t mind my heart, don’t mind
Refik Halit Karay
Refik Halit Karay, one of the important figures of Turkish literature, was born on March 15, 1888 and was one of the first writers to include Anatolia in his literature. The writer, who attracted attention with his works in the satire and humor genres in his period, frequently encountered problems due to his sharp tongue. He was exiled on June 12, 1913 due to the assassination of Mahmut Şevket Pasha and his views against the Union and Progress Party.
Refik Halit Karay lived in exile in many cities other than Istanbul, including Sinop Prison. His story “Şaka”, which he wrote during his time there in 1915, is an important document about this period.
Burhan Felek
Born in Istanbul in 1889, Burhan Felek is known as a sportsman and thinker. After completing his education, he became interested in sports and founded the Anadolu Sports Club. He served as the President of the Athletics Federation from 1922 to 1936.
Felek, who lived an active life in many areas such as journalism, writing and sportsmanship, was tried and arrested for a short time and sent to Sinop Prison. He was later released.
Refii Cevat Ulunay
Refii Cevat Ulunay, who lived between 1890-1968, was an important Turkish journalist and writer. He wrote critical articles in the Alemdar newspaper and was exiled because of these articles.
He was arrested for his articles against the Committee of Union and Progress and the assassination of Grand Vizier Mahmut Şevket Pasha, and was exiled to Çorum, Konya and Sinop. He was close friends with Refii Cevat and Refik Halit Karay, and spent some of their exile periods together.
Zechariah Sertel
Zekeriya Sertel, a journalist and writer, was tried and arrested by the Independence Tribunal in 1925 because of his articles in the Resimli Ay magazine, which he published with his wife Sabiha Sertel.
Exiled to Sinop Prison, Sertel remained there for 3 years and was later released. Later, he attracted attention with his articles in the Tan newspaper and, not wanting to be arrested again, he fled to Paris and finished his life there.
Kerim Korcan
Kerim Korcan, one of the important novelists and story writers of Turkish literature, was tried for the crime of establishing a secret organization while he was working as a barber’s apprentice at the age of 22. He was arrested together with the poet Nazım Hikmet in the Navy Case between 1938-1948 and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
He remained in the historical Sinop Prison during this period. After his release, he was convicted again in 1954 for being among the founders of the Homeland Party and was released in 1959.
Mustafa Suphi
Mustafa Suphi, a lawyer, founder and first president of the Communist Party of Turkey, and a journalist and writer, wrote articles criticizing the Unionist regime and unjust wars. He was arrested in 1913 for being involved in the assassination of Şevket Pasha and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
He spent one year of this sentence in Sinop Prison. Later, he managed to escape to Russia by boat with a group of friends, but was not accepted by Russia because he was an Ottoman citizen. He was killed along with his friends while returning to his country upon the call of the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
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