As one of the oldest prisons of Turkey, it was established in 1887 within the inner fortress of the centuries-old fortification located on the northwestern part of Cape Sinop.

[2] Following the capture of the city on October 3, 1214, Izz ad-Din Kaykaus II, sultan of Seljuk Turks of Rûm divided the fortress in two parts by erecting a wall in north–south direction.

[3] Designed in U-shape, a stonemasonry prison building with 28 halls on two floors was erected in 1887 in the inside of the southern inner fortress.

The inmates were given the opportunity to learn and practice handicraft such as woodworking and jewelry that enabled them to potter and to earn money from the items they produced and sold.

Only way was to have a boat which would be most likely provided by the local population, but there has never been an official report about any type of collaboration between the people of Sinop and the prisoners.

[4] The Sinop Fortress Prison was featured in various stories and poems by notable Turkish writers, who served their sentence.

Refik Halit Karay, Ahmet Bedevi Kuran, Refii Cevat Ulunay, Sabahattin Ali, Kerim Korcan and Zeyyat Selimoğlu are some of them to name.

Originated from the increasingly presentation of the prison in the recent popular culture, there is a growing interest in visiting the site.