In Diyarbakır, southeastern Türkiye, the first phase of restoration work on the former E-Type Prison, which was used as a military detention center after the Sept. 12, 1980 coup, is nearing completion.
The site is being transformed into a "Memory and Ethnography Museum." Cemil Koç, director of Diyarbakır Surveying and Monuments Directorate, announced that the first phase will be finalized by Aug. 15, with the full museum expected to be ready by October 2026, in time for the city’s Culture Route Festival.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during a visit to Diyarbakır on Oct. 23, 2023, announced that the facility would be turned into a cultural center. “During my previous visit, I promised that the Diyarbakır Prison would be emptied and transformed into a cultural venue. We kept our word. The Ministry of Justice has vacated the facility completely. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has prepared the restoration projects. This building, which will house a museum, library and cultural-art units, is a gift to Diyarbakır,” he said.
Following the decision to repurpose the site, 270 detainees and 170 personnel were transferred to other correctional facilities within the city. In a symbolic gesture, then-Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdağ locked the prison gates for the final time and handed over the keys to Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.
On Oct. 27, concrete barriers, each weighing 7 tons and measuring 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) high and 2 meters wide, that had been installed during earlier security operations, were dismantled. The facility was subsequently transferred to the Diyarbakır Museum Directorate under the auspices of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums.
As part of the site's transformation, certain buildings were demolished at the request of the Cultural Heritage Board, while others are currently undergoing structural reinforcement. The compound, comprising five main blocks, spans a parcel of 49,204 square meters (52,9627 square feet) and features an enclosed area of 16,462 square meters.
Additional structures, such as military clubs, lodgings and post-1980 prison blocks and cells, have been removed. In 2023, a comprehensive laser scanning process was conducted to document the complex structure digitally before its restoration.
The restoration project aims to return the prison to its 1980 condition and is being conducted in two phases under the supervision of the Diyarbakır Surveying and Monuments Directorate.
Providing details about the transformation, Koç noted: “The conversion of the prison into a museum began in 2022 following the directive of our president. Restoration commenced after the signage was removed on Oct. 24, 2022, and the complex was officially registered. The five-block structure, along with the multipurpose hall, was designated a cultural heritage site. This location, deeply embedded in the city’s collective memory, was classified as a ‘first-degree commemorative structure.’"
Between 2023 and 2024, the architectural design phase was completed. The first phase, scheduled for completion by Sept. 17, 2024, included the removal of later additions, surface cleaning and updated plans for structural reinforcement.
Currently, rough plastering work is in progress. A ministerial advisory board has also been established to guide the curatorial direction of the museum, incorporating input from individuals who were imprisoned at the facility between 1980 and 1984 to ensure that exhibits are historically accurate and meaningful.
The second phase of the project will focus on designing and installing exhibition content, landscaping the surrounding grounds, restoring the multipurpose hall and integrating mechanical and electrical systems into the main prison building. The museum’s whole opening is scheduled for October 2026, coinciding with the Culture Route Festival.
