Azkaban

• Type: Wizarding Prison
• Location: An island in the middle of the North Sea
• Owner/Residents: The British Ministry of Magic. Its prisoners are criminals from the British and Irish wizarding communities. It was notoriously guarded by Dementors until 1998, after which Aurors took over guard duties.
• Key Features: A terrifying triangular fortress built on a small island. The location is Unplottable, making it impossible to locate on any map for those not explicitly taken there. For most of its history, its primary defense and the source of its horror was the legion of Dementors that fed on the happiness of its inmates, driving most to despair and madness.

Azkaban is a grim, formidable fortress located on a remote island, perpetually shrouded in cold and misery. Sirius Black described the experience of being imprisoned there as soul-crushing, stating that the worst part was not the lack of hope, but the loss of self, where one's happy thoughts and memories are slowly drained away until only the worst experiences remain. The constant presence of the Dementors meant that most prisoners eventually stopped eating and wasted away in despair. The island was not always a prison. Originally, it was the home of a little-known and extremely powerful Dark wizard named Ekrizdis, who practiced the worst kinds of Dark Arts. He lured Muggle sailors to his island, where he tortured and murdered them. After his death, the concealment charms he had placed on the island faded, and the Ministry of Magic discovered it. Investigators found the fortress infested with Dementors, creatures spawned from the misery Ekrizdis had created (Pottermore). Fearing that destroying the fortress would cause the Dementors to seek a new feeding ground on the mainland, the Ministry of Magic left the island untouched for years. It was not until Damocles Rowle became Minister for Magic that a proposal was made to use the location as a prison. He argued that the Dementors would serve as perfect, cost-effective guards, saving the Ministry considerable trouble and expense. Despite opposition, this plan was eventually implemented, and Azkaban became the official high-security prison for the wizarding world in Britain (Pottermore).

Azkaban serves as a constant, looming symbol of fear, justice, and despair throughout the series.

• In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, it is established as the destination for Voldemort's most dangerous followers after the First Wizarding War.
• In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Rubeus Hagrid is wrongly imprisoned there on the orders of Cornelius Fudge, highlighting the Ministry of Magic's willingness to sacrifice justice for the appearance of action.
• The prison is central to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, following the shocking escape of Sirius Black, the first person ever known to have done so unaided. His survival is later explained by his ability to transform into his dog Animagus form, an animal whose simpler emotions were less affected by the Dementors.
• In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, it is revealed that Barty Crouch Jr. also escaped Azkaban, secretly switched with his dying mother via Polyjuice Potion.
• A mass breakout occurs in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, freeing ten high-security Death Eaters, including Bellatrix Lestrange. This event forces the Ministry of Magic to publicly acknowledge Lord Voldemort's return.
• By Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the Dementors have abandoned Azkaban to join Voldemort, severely compromising its security. The Ministry still uses it to imprison suspects, such as Stan Shunpike, in an attempt to look strong.
• In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, with the Ministry under Voldemort's control, Azkaban is used to imprison Muggle-borns and other opponents of the new regime, under the supervision of Dolores Umbridge.
• Following Voldemort's defeat, the new Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, decreed that Dementors would no longer be used as the guards of Azkaban, a reform considered long overdue (J.K. Rowling interview).

• The Fortress: The main structure of the prison, described as a tall and terrifying building.
• Cells: Prisoners were kept in individual cells. Sirius Black's cell was high up in the fortress.
• The Island: The rocky, isolated landmass upon which the fortress is situated.

• Etymology: The name “Azkaban” is likely a portmanteau of “Alcatraz,” the infamous American island prison, and “Abaddon,” a Hebrew term meaning “place of destruction” or “the abyss.”
• Film Depiction: The film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban established the iconic image of the prison as a vast, triangular monolith rising from the sea. This design is not explicitly described in the novels but has become the definitive visual representation (film).
• Post-War Reforms: J.K. Rowling has confirmed that after the Second Wizarding War, the prison was purged of Dementors. The institution remains in use but is now guarded by Aurors who rotate the duty (Pottermore).