The then-mayor attempted to assuage locals' concerns, assuring them that the development would be hidden away in a valley outside the town.

According to the English-language Turkish news outlet Hürriyet Daily News, a criminal complaint against the Sarot Group for environmental damage in Burj Al Babas was filed in 2015. Their report mentions the destruction of 82 black pine and oak trees and the dumping of excavated soil on 6.5 acres (2.6ha) of pristine woodland, which further infuriated Mudurnu residents already up in arms about the resort's incongruous architecture.

Burj Al Babas: tour the ghost town of abandoned fairytale castles