CRAZY WAVES OUTSIDE: SINOP PRISON
Crazy waves outside
Come and lick the walls
These sounds distract me
Never mind, my heart, never mind
Sinop Prison inspired these lines from Sabahattin Ali. Perhaps no prison in the world is as famous and as old. The prison was first built as a castle 4000 years ago. Thanks to its geopolitical importance, the castle managed to maintain its significance in every era. Over time, with the efforts of various countries on the castle, Sinop Castle began to be used as a prison in 1568. The inner castle, used as a dungeon, became a prison in 1887. It has always been a crowded prison since then. It has hosted many famous names. Evliya Çelebi mentions the prison in his work as follows:
HISTORY LYING BENEATH THE PRISON
"It is a large and fearsome castle. It has 300 iron gates, giant guards, many ferocious inmates whose arms are bound by iron bars and from whose mustaches 10 men could be hanged. Guards patrol the ramparts like dragons. God forbid, they wouldn't let even a bird fly out, let alone a prisoner escape."
The guard named Pala is very famous among tourists and locals.
Sinop Prison is now an important place to visit, especially for tourists. It has been transformed into a museum, as if wanting to escape its dark past.
