Diyarbakır’s 1980 coup prison to open as memorial in 2027
A former prison in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır long marked by history is undergoing a major overhaul, with Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy visiting the site to inspect its conversion into a memorial museum and cultural center.
After the Justice Ministry transferred its inmates in October 2022, the facility was locked and handed over to the Culture and Tourism Ministry. Designated as a protected heritage site, the building underwent restoration starting in 2024.
Following the completion of structural reinforcement in 2025, workers removed non-original additions and finalized the roof, electrical and mechanical upgrades for the exhibition space. A dedicated board shaped the memorial concept through archives, field meetings and interviews with former inmates and witnesses.
Spanning 47,000 square meters, the site features an 18,500-square-meter section housing a museum and a library. The former gym is becoming a 520-seat theater, alongside open-air spaces.
