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Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet
Istanbul, Turkey · Four Seasons · Apex Luxury
Built in 1918-19 as the Ottoman capital's first modern jail, the gate still reads Dersaadet Cinayet Tevkifhanesi in Ottoman script: Istanbul Prison of Murderers. Nazım Hikmet, Orhan Kemal, Aziz Nesin, and other writers served time in cells that faced the Bosphorus. Abandoned in 1969, the neoclassical block opened as Four Seasons in 1996 after a Regent conversion mid-stream; the old exercise yard is now the garden five minutes from Hagia Sophia.
- 65 rooms
- Opened 1996
- Neighborhood: Sultanahmet
- Rooms from 452 sq ft (42 m²)
- Architect: Mimar Kemaleddin Bey; Goddard Littlefair
- Interiors: Goddard Littlefair
About Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet
- Billy Hayes of Midnight Express fame spent one night here in 1970 before transfer to Sağmalcılar prison.
- Graham Greene's 1932 novel Stamboul Train mentions the jailhouse; poet Myra Shapiro later wrote of Hikmet in the Four Seasons.
- Travel + Leisure ranked it the world's number-one hotel in 2023; Michelin Three Keys and Forbes Five-Star followed.
- A full renovation closed the hotel through 2020, and doors reopened on December 1, 2021.
- Guests without a pool here can shuttle to the Bosphorus sister property that opened in 2008.
History
Constructed 1918-1919 as a neoclassical Turkish prison in Istanbul's historic Sultanahmet district; converted into a luxury Four Seasons hotel in 1996. Steps from Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and Topkapi Palace; underwent major renovation and reopened in 2022 preserving original architectural elements.
Built in 1918–19 as the Ottoman Empire's first modern jailhouse — the inscription above the gate still reads 'Dersaadet Murder Jail' in Ottoman script — Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet held poet Nazım Hikmet, novelist Orhan Kemal, and multiple other writers whose best-known works were written inside its cells.
The setting
Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul at Sultanahmet inhabits a 1918–19 neoclassical building on Tevkifhane Sokak — the street name meaning 'detainee' — in the heart of the Old City, originally the Ottoman Empire's first capital jailhouse, designed by architect Mimar Kemaleddin Bey and later infamous as a place of literary detention for poets Nazım Hikmet and Can Yücel. Converted into a luxury hotel in 1996, its serene courtyard garden once served as the prisoners' exercise yard. Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque is a five-minute walk, Topkapı Palace Museum equally five minutes, the Blue Mosque six minutes, and the Basilica Cistern six minutes — a density of world monuments matched by no other luxury address on earth.
Restaurants and bars
- Avlu — Restaurant · Chef Özgür Üstün
- Lingo Lingo — Restaurant
- Süreyya — Restaurant
- La Pistache — Restaurant
Experiences
- Hammam Rituals at Kurna Spa — Authentic hammam experience in a bijou spa with individual treatment rooms, steam and sauna; signature 60-minute Hammam Ritual.
- Turkish hammam experience in the spa — Softly lit, marble-lined spa with a Turkish hammam, alongside a Turkish barber, beauty salon and gymnasium.
- Anatolian cuisine at Avlu Restaurant — Contemporary Anatolian cuisine with local produce in the central courtyard; signature dishes include Duck Tirit and Katmer.
- Rooftop bar Süreyya — Rooftop bar with views of Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, Blue Mosque and the Old City silhouette.
- Lingo Lingo Bar & Restaurant — Bar and restaurant serving fish, modern mezze and sustainable cocktails, with an elevated private dining space.
Amenities
- Kurna Spa
- hammam
- fitness centre
- garden courtyard
- sauna
- steam room
- pool access at sister property
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN Three Keys (2026)
- Three Michelin Keys (2025)
- Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice best in Turkey (2024)
- Condé Nast Traveler Gold List (2023)
- Travel + Leisure World's Best Hotel (2023)
- Travel + Leisure World's Best Hotels (2023)
- 2026)
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