Wonderland Eurasia, billed as “Europe’s biggest theme park,” opened in Ankara, Turkey, in March 2019. Political turmoil, uneven ride quality, and a lack of attendance caused the massive park to close its doors permanently after less than a year of operation. According to an AFP story, the park’s abandoned dinosaur statues now piled in fields tell a “tale of grand ambition, waste and troubles facing the long-ruling party of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.” The project, built by the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality, cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and featured 17 roller coasters and dozens of other attractions spread over a 320-acre park, which now sits empty.

1. Decaying dinosaur statues sit, dumped in a field outside the abandoned Wonderland Eurasia theme park, near the Turkish capital of Ankara, on July 5, 2021.
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2. On March 20, 2019, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of Wonderland Eurasia.
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3. People gather to listen to Erdogan's speech during Wonderland Eurasia's opening ceremony.
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4. People visit Wonderland Eurasia on August 13, 2019.
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5. Performers put on a show in Wonderland Eurasia on August 13, 2019.
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6. A statue of a creature, part of an attraction at Wonderland Eurasia, seen on March 20, 2019
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7. Opening day at Wonderland Eurasia, on March 20, 2019
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8. A Ferris wheel and other attractions of Wonderland Eurasia, seen on March 20, 2019
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9. People enjoy a water ride in Wonderland Eurasia on August 13, 2019.
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10. A dinosaur's head sticks out of the wall of a theme-park attraction in Ankara on March 20, 2019.
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11. This picture, taken on July 5, 2021, shows abandoned items from the closed Wonderland Eurasia theme park.
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12. A broken-down triceratops model sits in a scrapyard on July 5, 2021.
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13. Abandoned dinosaur hatchlings from Wonderland Eurasia, seen on July 5, 2021
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14. Abandoned theme-park-ride features sit in a field in Ankara on July 5, 2021.
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15. A headless robotic feature from Wonderland Eurasia stands in a field on July 5, 2021.
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16. Decaying dinosaur models from Wonderland Eurasia, seen on July 5, 2021
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17. Abandoned amusement-park materials sit in Ankara on July 5, 2021.
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18. An aerial view of some of the objects from the abandoned Wonderland Eurasia theme park, seen on July 5, 2021
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19. Piles of abandoned dinosaur models from Wonderland Eurasia sit in a scrapyard in Ankara on July 5, 2021.
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