Maps of Movies

Midnight Express (1978)

Where Midnight Express says it takes place, and where it was really shot.

The jail is in Istanbul, but almost all of it was shot in Malta, because filming in Istanbul was denied

Scenes and places

Arrest at Istanbul Airport (1970)

Billy straps hashish to his chest to fly home, but soldiers frisk him at the airport and find it. He is arrested, and an American operative called Tex turns up to translate and help the police.

Set in Atatürk Airport, Istanbul — The airport where Billy is frisked, arrested and strip-searched. Google Maps · Apple Maps

The bazaar and the taxi driver

Billy offers to identify the driver in exchange for his release, and the police take him to a market. He spots the man, then bolts when the police move in.

Set in Istanbul bazaar — A local market where Billy points out the taxi driver; the film does not name which bazaar.

First night in Sultanahmet Jail

Cold and alone in his cell, Billy asks for a blanket and is told to wait until tomorrow. He slips out to steal one and is beaten by the chief guard Hamidou.

Set in Sultanahmet Jail, Istanbul — The old jail where Billy is first held. Google Maps · Apple Maps

Filmed at Fort Saint Elmo, Valletta (Fort Saint Elmo, Valletta, Malta) — The film's Turkish jail scenes were shot at Lower Saint Elmo in Valletta; this scene is not singled out in the sources. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Waking up in Sağmalcılar Prison

Billy wakes days after the beating among fellow Western inmates Jimmy, Max and Erich. Jimmy warns him that foreigners are in danger here and that no one can be trusted.

Set in Sağmalcılar Prison, Istanbul — The large prison where Billy lives among Western inmates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

Filmed at Fort Saint Elmo, Valletta (Fort Saint Elmo, Valletta, Malta) — Lower Courtyard of Fort Saint Elmo stands in for the prison buildings; a Wikimedia Commons category links it to the film. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

The trial

With his father and a Turkish attorney beside him, Billy hears the prosecutor push for a smuggling conviction. The judge instead gives four years for possession.

Set in Courtroom, Istanbul — The courtroom where Billy hears his sentence; the film's location is not identified in the sources.

The catacombs and the asylum ward

Desperate after his sentence is raised, Billy joins Jimmy and Max in an escape through the prison catacombs, but they hit dead ends. He is later moved to an asylum ward, where he finds Max badly hurt.

Set in Sağmalcılar Prison, Istanbul — The same prison, where the tunnels beneath it and the asylum ward become Billy's world. Google Maps · Apple Maps

Filmed at Fort Saint Elmo, Valletta (Fort Saint Elmo, Valletta, Malta) — The whole fort serves as the prison; the sources do not locate the underground or the ward separately. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there:

Filmed at Ramp of the Lower Courtyard, Fort Saint Elmo (Fort Saint Elmo, Valletta, Malta) — Walk up the ramp near the end of the film Google Maps · Apple Maps

Characters

• Billy Hayes — An American college student arrested at the Istanbul airport with hashish strapped to his chest.
• Jimmy Booth — An American thief in Sağmalcılar Prison who pushes escape plans.
• Max — An English heroin addict who has been in the prison the longest.

Questions answered on the map

• Where was the Turkish jail in Midnight Express really filmed?