Princes' Islands
Encyclopedia
The Princes' Islands are a chain of nine island
s off the coast of Istanbul
, Turkey
, in the Sea of Marmara
. The islands also constitute the Adalar (literally Islands or Isles) district of Istanbul Province
. The mayor of the Adalar (Isles) district is Mustafa Farsakoğlu (CHP
).
They consist of four larger islands, Büyükada
(meaning "Large Island"; Greek: , Prinkipo(s), from πρίγκιπας meaning "prince") with an area of 5.46 km² (2.1 sq mi), Heybeliada (meaning "Saddlebag Island"; Greek: Χάλκη Halki) with an area of 2.4 km² (0.926645180622084 sq mi), Burgazada
(Greek: Αντιγόνη Antigoni, the name of a mythological figure) with an area of 1.5 km² (0.579153237888803 sq mi), Kınalıada
(meaning "Henna Island"; Greek: Proti, meaning "First", being the closest island to Istanbul) with an area of 1.3 km² (0.501932806170296 sq mi), and five much smaller ones, Sedef Adası
(meaning "Mother-of-Pearl Island"; classical Greek Terebinthos and modern Greek: Antirovithos) with an area of 0.157 km² (0.060618038899028 sq mi), Yassıada
(meaning "Flat Island"; Greek: Plati) with an area of 0.05 km² (0.0193051079296268 sq mi), Sivriada
(meaning "Sharp Island"; Greek: Οξειά Oxeia meaning the same) with an area of 0.05 km² (0.0193051079296268 sq mi), Kaşık Island with an area of 0.006 km² (0.00231661295155521 sq mi), and Tavşan Adası
(meaning "Rabbit Island"; Greek Νέανδρος Neandros, the name of a mythological figure) with an area of 0.004 km² (0.00154440863437014 sq mi).
They are just a short ferry ride from Istanbul, with ferries departing from Bostancı
and Kartal
on the Asian side, and from Kabataş
on the European side. Most ferries call in turn at the four largest of the nine islands: Kınalıada
, Burgazada
, Heybeliada and finally Büyükada
. Ferry services are provided by Istanbul Seabuses (İDO), a firm operated by the municipality of Istanbul
. In spring and autumn the islands are quieter and more pleasant, although the sea can be rough in spring, autumn and winter, and the islands are sometimes cut off from the outside world when the ferry services are cancelled due to storms and high waves. During winter, with the addition of the biting cold and the strong winds and the resulting ferry cancellations, the islands become almost deserted.
During the Byzantine
period, prince
s and other royalty were exile
d on the islands, and later members of the Ottoman
sultans family were exiled there too, giving the islands their present name. They were taken by the Ottoman fleet during the siege of Constantinople
in 1453. During the nineteenth century, the islands became a popular resort for Istanbul's wealthy, and Victorian-era
cottages and houses are still preserved on the largest of the Princes' Islands.
The islands have become more and more ethnically Turkish in character due to the influx of wealthy Turkish jetsetters, a process which began in the first days of the Turkish Republic when the British Yacht Club on Büyükada was appropriated as Anadolu Kulübü, for Turkish parliamentarians to enjoy Istanbul in the summer. The islands are an interesting anomaly because they allow for a very rare, albeit incomplete, insight into a multicultural society in modern Turkey, possibly alike to the multicultural society that once existed during the Ottoman Empire in places such as nearby Istanbul/Constantinople. Prior to the 1950s, each of the inhabited islands had significant communities of ethnic minorities of Turkey, which is only the case to a much smaller extent. Since the vast majority of the residents and visitors are Turkish, today their legacy is of cultural rather than of demographic importance.
and football legend Lefter Küçükandonyadis
. Leon Trotsky
was deported from the Soviet Union
in February 1929. His first station in exile was at Büyükada off the coast of Istanbul, Turkey where he stayed for the next four years. Famous poet Nâzım Hikmet
attended the Naval Cadet School
in Heybeliada between 1913 and 1918.
(meaning "Big Island"; , Prínkēpos) is the largest of the nine islands comprising the Princes' Islands in the Marmara Sea, close to Istanbul
.
As on the other islands, motorized vehicles – except service vehicles – are forbidden, so visitors explore the island by foot; by riding a bicycle
(numerous bicycle shops rent them with hourly prices); or in horse-drawn phaeton
carriages which function like taxi cabs, also offering "round-the-island" sightseeing tours.
A convent on Büyükada was the place of exile for the Byzantine empresses Irene
, Euphrosyne
, Theophano
, Zoe
and Anna Dalassena
. After his deportation from the Soviet Union
in February 1929, Leon Trotsky
also stayed for four years on Büyükada, his first station in exile. Princess Fahrelnissa Zeid
was born in the island.
There are several historical buildings on Büyükada, such as the Ayia Yorgi Church and Monastery dating back to the sixth century, the Ayios Dimitrios Church, and the Hamidiye Mosque built by Abdul Hamid II
. Büyükada consists of two peaks. The one nearest to the iskele (ferry landing), Hristos, is topped by the former Greek Orphanage, a huge wooden building now in decay. In the valley between the two hills sit the church and monastery of Ayios Nikolaos and a former fairground called Luna Park. Visitors can take the 'small tour' of the island by buggy, leading to this point, from where it is an easy climb to Ayia Yorgi, a tiny church with a cafe on the grounds serving wine, chips and sausage sandwiches, this being part of the "classic" Ayia Yorgi (St. George, in Greek: Άγιος Γεώργιος) experience.
. It is a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul
. The large Naval Cadet School overlooks the jetty to the left as you get off the ferry. There are two interesting pieces of architecture on the grounds of the school. One is Kamariotissa, the only remaining Byzantine
church on the island, and more importantly the last church to be built before the conquest of Constantinople
. The other is the grave of the second English Ambassador to be sent to Constantinople by Elizabeth I of England
, Edward Barton, who chose to live on Heybeli to escape the bustle of the city.
To the right of the jetty lies the town with its bars and cafes, a hotel that stays open all year round, and many lovely wooden houses.
At the top of the central mountain is an eleventh-century Greek Orthodox
monastery
, it housed the Halki seminary
, the main Greek Orthodox seminary
in Turkey and Theological Seminary of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The monastery attracts tourists from all over Greece
and Turkey
.
To prevent the island from becoming polluted, the only motorized vehicles permitted on the island are service vehicles such as ambulances, fire trucks, police cars, and the like. The only forms of transport are by foot
, horse and buggy
and service transport
. There is no airport; the only way of getting there is by boat.
The winter population of the island is around 3,000, but in the summer, the owners of the summer houses return and the population swells to a 10,000 people. The main attractions during the summer are small-scale open-air concerts sponsored by the local council, a swimming and fitness club next to the sea, and an annual Independence Day march, which is commemorated by a resident naval band touring the island.
Burgazada
(Greek: Αντιγόνη, Antigoni) is the third largest of the Islands, a single hill 2 km across. Demetrius I of Macedon
, one of the Diadochi
(Successors) of Alexander the Great, built a fort here and named it after his father Antigonus I Monophthalmus
. The island took this name, but today is generally known by the Turks simply as "Burgaz" (Turkish for "fort"). In 2003 Burgaz suffered a forest fire, losing 4 square kilometres of woodland.
Burgaz is a common setting and even a major theme for writer Sait Faik Abasıyanık
, where he also resided. Today, his residence is kept as a museum. At his favourite restaurant in Kalpazankaya (the counterfeiter's rock) one will also find his bronze statue enjoying the view with a glass of rakı
freshly filled everyday by the restaurant owners.
Kınalıada
(meaning "Henna
Island" in Turkish
, after the colour of its earth) is the nearest island to the European and Asian side of Istanbul, about 12 kilometres (7 mi) to the south. This therefore was the island most used as a place of exile in Byzantine
times (the most notable exile being the former emperor Romanos IV Diogenes, after the Battle of Manzikert
, 1071). This is one of the least forested islands, and the land has a reddish colour from the iron and copper that has been mined here.
The islands are reachable by ferry services that depart from Kabataş
on the European side. The voyage takes about 25 minutes by fast ferry and 40 minutes by regular ferry (vapur).
: Τερέβυνθος Terebinthos, and in ancient times also Androvitha or Andircuithos) is one of the smallest islands of the archipelago, and has 108 private homes. The section that's open to the general public largely consists of a beach hamlet. The island is mostly private property and the current pine forests were largely planted by its owner Şehsuvar Menemencioğlu, who purchased the island in 1956 and also played an important role in the imposition of a strict building code to make sure that the island's nature and environment will be protected. It is not allowed to build houses with more than 2 floors.
The island's Greek name, Terebinthos, means 'turpentine
', which suggests a significant presence of the Turpentine tree or Terebinth
in earlier times. In 857 AD Patriarch Ignatios of Constantinople
was sent in exile to the island, where he was imprisoned for 10 years before being re-elected as Patriarch in 867 AD.
(Greek: Plati) was used by the Byzantines
for sending prominent figures into exile. One such person was the Armenian
Patriarch
(Catholicos
) Narses
who was first sent to this island before being imprisoned at Büyükada
in the fourth century AD. In the eleventh century AD the Byzantines used the island for political prisoners. The remains of the 4 underground prison cells from this period can still be seen. The Byzantines also built a monastery and church on the island. Yassıada (Plati) was captured by the Latin Crusaders during the Fourth Crusade
in 1204.
In 1857 the island was purchased by the British ambassador Henry Bulwer
, brother of novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton
, who built himself a mansion and a small castle-like structure to live undisturbed on this distant island. The tiny castle and the wharf in front of it are still standing today. Henry Bulwer also organized agricultural production on the island to self-sustain his little realm at least to a certain degree, but later sold Yassıada to the Khedive
of Ottoman Egypt & Sudan
, Ismail Pasha, who, however, didn't construct any new buildings and completely neglected the island.
With the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 the island became a property of the Turkish state, and in 1947 Yassıada was handed over to the Turkish Navy
which built several school buildings.
It is also where the trials of the members of the former ruling party, Demokrat Parti, were held after the military coup of 1960. Several of the defendants were sentenced to death, and three of these, including the former Prime Minister of Turkey Adnan Menderes
, were executed.
After the end of the trials, Yassıada was given back to the Turkish Navy and lessons continued to take place at the naval school buildings until 1978.
In 1993 the island became a property of Istanbul University
's department of Marine Life and Sea Products, which used it for lessons and research. But the strong winds on the island made life hard for the students and eventually classes were held elsewhere.
Today the island is a favourite location for scuba diving schools like Balıkadam Türkiye as well as amateur divers.
currently is deserted. The island was often used by the Byzantine
clerics as a distant place for peaceful worship, and by the Byzantine emperors as a convenient prison to detain prominent people whom they deemed troublesome. The first famous person to be imprisoned on the island by the order of emperor Nikephoros I
was Plato of Sakkoudion, the uncle of renowned cleric Theodoros Stoudites
, for supporting his nephew in his conflict with the emperor. Other famous people who stayed in the island for religious and political reasons were Gebon, Basil Skleros, Nikephoritzes
(the chief minister of Michael VII Doukas), Patriarch John of Constantinople and Patriarch Michael II of Constantinople. The graves of those who died in the island during the Byzantine period can still be seen today.
The ruins of a Roman
settlement and a ninth century Byzantine monastery can still be seen on the shore, close to the fishermen's shelter, a small wharf which is often used by yachts. The most important buildings on the island were built in the ninth century AD, including a church, a chapel dedicated to religious martyrs, a monastery on the eastern end (with its walls still seen today) and a cistern in the center of the island (a part of which can still be seen.)
In 1911 the mayor of Istanbul ordered the stray dogs in the streets to be gathered and deposited to Sivriada, but a severe earthquake which immediately followed the event was perceived as "a punishment by God for abandoning the dogs" and they were transported back to the city.
Kaşık Island, is located between the islands of Burgazada
and Heybeliada. Kaşık Adası is officially administered by the Burgazada
neighborhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul
. It is the second-smallest of the Princes' Islands, with an area of 0.006 km² (0.00231661295155521 sq mi).
(meaning "Rabbit Island"; Greek
: Νέανδρος Neandros, the name of a mythological figure) is the smallest of the Princes' Islands, with an area of 0.004 km² (0.00154440863437014 sq mi).
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s off the coast of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, in the Sea of Marmara
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as the Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Black...
. The islands also constitute the Adalar (literally Islands or Isles) district of Istanbul Province
Istanbul Province
Istanbul Province is a province located in north-west Turkey. It has an area of 5,196 km² and a population of 13,255,685. The population was 10,018,735 in 2000. It is surrounded by the provinces of Tekirdağ to the west, Kocaeli to the east, the Black Sea to the northern part and the Sea of...
. The mayor of the Adalar (Isles) district is Mustafa Farsakoğlu (CHP
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
).
They consist of four larger islands, Büyükada
Büyükada
Büyükada is the largest of the nine so-called Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul, with an area of about two square miles...
(meaning "Large Island"; Greek: , Prinkipo(s), from πρίγκιπας meaning "prince") with an area of 5.46 km² (2.1 sq mi), Heybeliada (meaning "Saddlebag Island"; Greek: Χάλκη Halki) with an area of 2.4 km² (0.926645180622084 sq mi), Burgazada
Burgazada
Burgazada, Burgazadası, or Burgaz shortly is the third largest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul.It is officially a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Burgaz is a common setting and even a major theme for writer Sait Faik Abasıyanık, where he also...
(Greek: Αντιγόνη Antigoni, the name of a mythological figure) with an area of 1.5 km² (0.579153237888803 sq mi), Kınalıada
Kinaliada
Kınalıada is an island in the Sea of Marmara; it is the closest of the Princes' Islands to Istanbul, Turkey, about south. Administratively, it is a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul....
(meaning "Henna Island"; Greek: Proti, meaning "First", being the closest island to Istanbul) with an area of 1.3 km² (0.501932806170296 sq mi), and five much smaller ones, Sedef Adası
Sedef Adasi
Sedef Island, is one of the nine islands consisting the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul, Turkey. Sedef Adası is officially a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul....
(meaning "Mother-of-Pearl Island"; classical Greek Terebinthos and modern Greek: Antirovithos) with an area of 0.157 km² (0.060618038899028 sq mi), Yassıada
Yassiada
Yassıada is one of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara. The island, which has an area of 0.05 km², is officially a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul, Turkey.x...
(meaning "Flat Island"; Greek: Plati) with an area of 0.05 km² (0.0193051079296268 sq mi), Sivriada
Sivriada
Sivriada is one of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul.The island, which has an area of 0.05 km², is officially a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul, Turkey....
(meaning "Sharp Island"; Greek: Οξειά Oxeia meaning the same) with an area of 0.05 km² (0.0193051079296268 sq mi), Kaşık Island with an area of 0.006 km² (0.00231661295155521 sq mi), and Tavşan Adası
Tavşan Adası
Tavşan Adası is the smallest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, to the southeast of Istanbul, Turkey. It is under the administration of the Adalar district of Istanbul Province. The island has an area of 0.004 km2 ....
(meaning "Rabbit Island"; Greek Νέανδρος Neandros, the name of a mythological figure) with an area of 0.004 km² (0.00154440863437014 sq mi).
Tourism and transport
During the summer months the Princes’ Islands are popular destinations for day trips from Istanbul. As there is no traffic on the Islands, the only transport being horse and cart, they are incredibly peaceful compared with the city of Istanbul.They are just a short ferry ride from Istanbul, with ferries departing from Bostancı
Bostanci
Bostancı is a neighbourhood of Kadıköy, located on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, Turkey. The neighbourhood fronts the Sea of Marmara and is not far from the Princes' Islands. From the Bostancı shore, five islands; Kınalıada, Burgazada, Heybeliada, Büyükada, and Sivriada can be seen...
and Kartal
Kartal
Kartal is a district of Istanbul, Turkey located on the Asian side of the city, on the coast of the Marmara Sea between Maltepe and Pendik. The mayor is Altınok Öz . Despite being far from the city centre, Kartal is heavily populated now. . Total land area is 147,000 m² which includes some...
on the Asian side, and from Kabataş
Kabatas, Istanbul
Kabataş is a quarter of Beyoğlu municipality in Istanbul, Turkey. It is situated on the European shore of the Bosphorus, between Beşiktaş and Karaköy.-References:* Istanbul.com - -External links:*...
on the European side. Most ferries call in turn at the four largest of the nine islands: Kınalıada
Kinaliada
Kınalıada is an island in the Sea of Marmara; it is the closest of the Princes' Islands to Istanbul, Turkey, about south. Administratively, it is a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul....
, Burgazada
Burgazada
Burgazada, Burgazadası, or Burgaz shortly is the third largest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul.It is officially a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Burgaz is a common setting and even a major theme for writer Sait Faik Abasıyanık, where he also...
, Heybeliada and finally Büyükada
Büyükada
Büyükada is the largest of the nine so-called Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul, with an area of about two square miles...
. Ferry services are provided by Istanbul Seabuses (İDO), a firm operated by the municipality of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. In spring and autumn the islands are quieter and more pleasant, although the sea can be rough in spring, autumn and winter, and the islands are sometimes cut off from the outside world when the ferry services are cancelled due to storms and high waves. During winter, with the addition of the biting cold and the strong winds and the resulting ferry cancellations, the islands become almost deserted.
History
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
period, prince
Prince
Prince is a general term for a ruler, monarch or member of a monarch's or former monarch's family, and is a hereditary title in the nobility of some European states. The feminine equivalent is a princess...
s and other royalty were exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
d on the islands, and later members of the Ottoman
Ottoman Dynasty
The Ottoman Dynasty ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1299 to 1922, beginning with Osman I , though the dynasty was not proclaimed until Orhan Bey declared himself sultan...
sultans family were exiled there too, giving the islands their present name. They were taken by the Ottoman fleet during the siege of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
in 1453. During the nineteenth century, the islands became a popular resort for Istanbul's wealthy, and Victorian-era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
cottages and houses are still preserved on the largest of the Princes' Islands.
The islands have become more and more ethnically Turkish in character due to the influx of wealthy Turkish jetsetters, a process which began in the first days of the Turkish Republic when the British Yacht Club on Büyükada was appropriated as Anadolu Kulübü, for Turkish parliamentarians to enjoy Istanbul in the summer. The islands are an interesting anomaly because they allow for a very rare, albeit incomplete, insight into a multicultural society in modern Turkey, possibly alike to the multicultural society that once existed during the Ottoman Empire in places such as nearby Istanbul/Constantinople. Prior to the 1950s, each of the inhabited islands had significant communities of ethnic minorities of Turkey, which is only the case to a much smaller extent. Since the vast majority of the residents and visitors are Turkish, today their legacy is of cultural rather than of demographic importance.
Notable residents
Many Turks fondly remember the Islands as home to famous short-story writer Sait Faik AbasıyanıkSait Faik Abasiyanik
Sait Faik Abasıyanık was one of the greatest Turkish writers of short stories and poetry. Born in Adapazarı, he was educated at the Bursa Erkek Lisesi. He enrolled in the Turcology Department of Istanbul University in 1928, but under pressure from his father went to Switzerland to study economics...
and football legend Lefter Küçükandonyadis
Lefter Küçükandonyadis
Lefter Küçükandonyadis , born 22 December 1925 in Istanbul, is a Turkish football player of Greek descent, who is recognised as one of the greatest footballers to play for Turkey.-Early life and club career:...
. Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
was deported from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in February 1929. His first station in exile was at Büyükada off the coast of Istanbul, Turkey where he stayed for the next four years. Famous poet Nâzım Hikmet
Nazim Hikmet
Nâzım Hikmet Ran , commonly known as Nâzım Hikmet , was a Turkish poet, playwright, novelist and memoirist. He was acclaimed for the "lyrical flow of his statements"...
attended the Naval Cadet School
Turkish Naval High School
Deniz Lisesi, known in other languages by its English name Turkish Naval High School was known in Turkish as the Muhendishane-i Bahri Humayun and later the Mekteb-i Bahriye-i Sahane...
in Heybeliada between 1913 and 1918.
Büyükada
BüyükadaBüyükada
Büyükada is the largest of the nine so-called Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul, with an area of about two square miles...
(meaning "Big Island"; , Prínkēpos) is the largest of the nine islands comprising the Princes' Islands in the Marmara Sea, close to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
.
As on the other islands, motorized vehicles – except service vehicles – are forbidden, so visitors explore the island by foot; by riding a bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
(numerous bicycle shops rent them with hourly prices); or in horse-drawn phaeton
Phaeton (carriage)
Phaeton is the early 19th-century term for a sporty open carriage drawn by a single horse or a pair, typically with four extravagantly large wheels, very lightly sprung, with a minimal body, fast and dangerous. It usually had no sidepieces in front of the seats...
carriages which function like taxi cabs, also offering "round-the-island" sightseeing tours.
A convent on Büyükada was the place of exile for the Byzantine empresses Irene
Irene (empress)
Irene Sarantapechaina , known as Irene of Athens or Irene the Athenian was a Byzantine empress regnant from 797 to 802, having previously been empress consort from 775 to 780, and empress dowager and regent from 780 to 797. It is often claimed she called herself "basileus" , 'emperor'...
, Euphrosyne
Euphrosyne
Euphrosyne is a Greek female name; Phroso or Froso is its more common derivative. Euphrosyne may refer to:* 31 Euphrosyne, one of the largest main belt asteroids* Boloria euphrosyne, a butterfly* Euphrosyne , a genus of flowering plants...
, Theophano
Theophano (Byzantine Empress)
Theophano was a Byzantine empress. She was the daughter-in-law of Constantine VII; wife of Romanos II; wife of Nikephoros II Phokas; lover of John I Tzimiskes; the mother of Basil II, Constantine VIII and the princess Anna Porphyrogenita, who later married Kievan prince Vladimir. Theophano played...
, Zoe
Zoe (empress)
Zoe reigned as Byzantine Empress alongside her sister Theodora from April 19 to June 11, 1042...
and Anna Dalassena
Anna Dalassena
Anna Dalassene was an important Byzantine noblewoman who played a significant role in the rise of the Komnenoi in the eleventh century. As Augusta, a title bestowed upon her rather than the empress by her son, Alexios I Komnenos, she guided the empire during his many absences for long military...
. After his deportation from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in February 1929, Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky
Leon Trotsky , born Lev Davidovich Bronshtein, was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and theorist, Soviet politician, and the founder and first leader of the Red Army....
also stayed for four years on Büyükada, his first station in exile. Princess Fahrelnissa Zeid
Princess Fahrelnissa Zeid
Princess Fahrelnissa Zeid or Fakhr un-nisa was a Turkish artist whose work blended the elements of Islamic and Byzantine art from the East with abstract and other influences from the West...
was born in the island.
There are several historical buildings on Büyükada, such as the Ayia Yorgi Church and Monastery dating back to the sixth century, the Ayios Dimitrios Church, and the Hamidiye Mosque built by Abdul Hamid II
Abdul Hamid II
His Imperial Majesty, The Sultan Abdülhamid II, Emperor of the Ottomans, Caliph of the Faithful was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire...
. Büyükada consists of two peaks. The one nearest to the iskele (ferry landing), Hristos, is topped by the former Greek Orphanage, a huge wooden building now in decay. In the valley between the two hills sit the church and monastery of Ayios Nikolaos and a former fairground called Luna Park. Visitors can take the 'small tour' of the island by buggy, leading to this point, from where it is an easy climb to Ayia Yorgi, a tiny church with a cafe on the grounds serving wine, chips and sausage sandwiches, this being part of the "classic" Ayia Yorgi (St. George, in Greek: Άγιος Γεώργιος) experience.
Heybeliada
Heybeliada ( Chalki) is the second largest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of MarmaraSea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara , also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, and in the context of classical antiquity as the Propontis , is the inland sea that connects the Black Sea to the Aegean Sea, thus separating Turkey's Asian and European parts. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Black...
. It is a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. The large Naval Cadet School overlooks the jetty to the left as you get off the ferry. There are two interesting pieces of architecture on the grounds of the school. One is Kamariotissa, the only remaining Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
church on the island, and more importantly the last church to be built before the conquest of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. The other is the grave of the second English Ambassador to be sent to Constantinople by Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, Edward Barton, who chose to live on Heybeli to escape the bustle of the city.
To the right of the jetty lies the town with its bars and cafes, a hotel that stays open all year round, and many lovely wooden houses.
At the top of the central mountain is an eleventh-century Greek Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
, it housed the Halki seminary
Halki seminary
The Halki seminary, formally the Theological School of Halki , was founded on 1 October 1844 on the island of Halki , the second-largest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara. It was the main school of theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church's Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople until...
, the main Greek Orthodox seminary
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
in Turkey and Theological Seminary of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The monastery attracts tourists from all over Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
To prevent the island from becoming polluted, the only motorized vehicles permitted on the island are service vehicles such as ambulances, fire trucks, police cars, and the like. The only forms of transport are by foot
Walking
Walking is one of the main gaits of locomotion among legged animals, and is typically slower than running and other gaits. Walking is defined by an 'inverted pendulum' gait in which the body vaults over the stiff limb or limbs with each step...
, horse and buggy
Horse and buggy
A horse and buggy or horse and carriage refers to a light, simple, two-person carriage of the late 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries, drawn usually by one or sometimes by two horses...
and service transport
Transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
. There is no airport; the only way of getting there is by boat.
The winter population of the island is around 3,000, but in the summer, the owners of the summer houses return and the population swells to a 10,000 people. The main attractions during the summer are small-scale open-air concerts sponsored by the local council, a swimming and fitness club next to the sea, and an annual Independence Day march, which is commemorated by a resident naval band touring the island.
Burgazada
Burgazada
Burgazada, Burgazadası, or Burgaz shortly is the third largest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul.It is officially a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Burgaz is a common setting and even a major theme for writer Sait Faik Abasıyanık, where he also...
(Greek: Αντιγόνη, Antigoni) is the third largest of the Islands, a single hill 2 km across. Demetrius I of Macedon
Demetrius I of Macedon
Demetrius I , called Poliorcetes , son of Antigonus I Monophthalmus and Stratonice, was a king of Macedon...
, one of the Diadochi
Diadochi
The Diadochi were the rival generals, family and friends of Alexander the Great who fought for the control of Alexander's empire after his death in 323 BC...
(Successors) of Alexander the Great, built a fort here and named it after his father Antigonus I Monophthalmus
Antigonus I Monophthalmus
Antigonus I Monophthalmus , son of Philip from Elimeia, was a Macedonian nobleman, general, and satrap under Alexander the Great. During his early life he served under Philip II, and he was a major figure in the Wars of the Diadochi after Alexander's death, declaring himself king in 306 BC and...
. The island took this name, but today is generally known by the Turks simply as "Burgaz" (Turkish for "fort"). In 2003 Burgaz suffered a forest fire, losing 4 square kilometres of woodland.
Burgaz is a common setting and even a major theme for writer Sait Faik Abasıyanık
Sait Faik Abasiyanik
Sait Faik Abasıyanık was one of the greatest Turkish writers of short stories and poetry. Born in Adapazarı, he was educated at the Bursa Erkek Lisesi. He enrolled in the Turcology Department of Istanbul University in 1928, but under pressure from his father went to Switzerland to study economics...
, where he also resided. Today, his residence is kept as a museum. At his favourite restaurant in Kalpazankaya (the counterfeiter's rock) one will also find his bronze statue enjoying the view with a glass of rakı
Raki
-Alcoholic beverages:*Rakı, an anise-flavored spirit popular in Turkey*Any anise-flavored drink.-Fictional characters:*Raki, a character in the manga/anime series Claymore*Raki, a character in the game Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica...
freshly filled everyday by the restaurant owners.
Kınalıada
Kinaliada
Kınalıada is an island in the Sea of Marmara; it is the closest of the Princes' Islands to Istanbul, Turkey, about south. Administratively, it is a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul....
(meaning "Henna
Henna
Henna is a flowering plant used since antiquity to dye skin, hair, fingernails, leather and wool. The name is also used for dye preparations derived from the plant, and for the art of temporary tattooing based on those dyes...
Island" in Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, after the colour of its earth) is the nearest island to the European and Asian side of Istanbul, about 12 kilometres (7 mi) to the south. This therefore was the island most used as a place of exile in Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
times (the most notable exile being the former emperor Romanos IV Diogenes, after the Battle of Manzikert
Battle of Manzikert
The Battle of Manzikert , was fought between the Byzantine Empire and Seljuq Turks led by Alp Arslan on August 26, 1071 near Manzikert...
, 1071). This is one of the least forested islands, and the land has a reddish colour from the iron and copper that has been mined here.
The islands are reachable by ferry services that depart from Kabataş
Kabatas, Istanbul
Kabataş is a quarter of Beyoğlu municipality in Istanbul, Turkey. It is situated on the European shore of the Bosphorus, between Beşiktaş and Karaköy.-References:* Istanbul.com - -External links:*...
on the European side. The voyage takes about 25 minutes by fast ferry and 40 minutes by regular ferry (vapur).
Sedef Island
Sedef Island, ' onMouseout='HidePop("79406")' href="/topics/Greek_language">GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: Τερέβυνθος Terebinthos, and in ancient times also Androvitha or Andircuithos) is one of the smallest islands of the archipelago, and has 108 private homes. The section that's open to the general public largely consists of a beach hamlet. The island is mostly private property and the current pine forests were largely planted by its owner Şehsuvar Menemencioğlu, who purchased the island in 1956 and also played an important role in the imposition of a strict building code to make sure that the island's nature and environment will be protected. It is not allowed to build houses with more than 2 floors.
The island's Greek name, Terebinthos, means 'turpentine
Turpentine
Turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin obtained from trees, mainly pine trees. It is composed of terpenes, mainly the monoterpenes alpha-pinene and beta-pinene...
', which suggests a significant presence of the Turpentine tree or Terebinth
Terebinth
Pistacia terebinthus, known commonly as terebinth and turpentine tree, is a species of Pistacia, native to the Canary Islands, and the Mediterranean region from the western regions of Morocco, and Portugal to Greece and western Turkey...
in earlier times. In 857 AD Patriarch Ignatios of Constantinople
Patriarch Ignatios of Constantinople
St. Ignatius or Ignatios , Patriarch of Constantinople from July 4, 847 to October 23, 858 and from November 23, 867 to his death on October 23, 877...
was sent in exile to the island, where he was imprisoned for 10 years before being re-elected as Patriarch in 867 AD.
Yassıada
YassıadaYassiada
Yassıada is one of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara. The island, which has an area of 0.05 km², is officially a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul, Turkey.x...
(Greek: Plati) was used by the Byzantines
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
for sending prominent figures into exile. One such person was the Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
Patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
(Catholicos
Catholicos
Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases is borne by the designated head of an autonomous church, in which case the holder might have other titles such as Patriarch...
) Narses
Saint Narses
Saint Nerses I the Great was an Armenian Catholicos who lived in the fourth century. He was the father of another catholicos, Saint Sahak I. His father was At'anagenes and his mother was Bambish, the sister of King Tiran....
who was first sent to this island before being imprisoned at Büyükada
Büyükada
Büyükada is the largest of the nine so-called Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul, with an area of about two square miles...
in the fourth century AD. In the eleventh century AD the Byzantines used the island for political prisoners. The remains of the 4 underground prison cells from this period can still be seen. The Byzantines also built a monastery and church on the island. Yassıada (Plati) was captured by the Latin Crusaders during the Fourth Crusade
Fourth Crusade
The Fourth Crusade was originally intended to conquer Muslim-controlled Jerusalem by means of an invasion through Egypt. Instead, in April 1204, the Crusaders of Western Europe invaded and conquered the Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire...
in 1204.
In 1857 the island was purchased by the British ambassador Henry Bulwer
Henry Bulwer, 1st Baron Dalling and Bulwer
Henry Lytton Earle Bulwer, 1st Baron Dalling and Bulwer GCB, PC was a British Liberal politician, diplomat and writer.-Background and education:...
, brother of novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton
Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton PC , was an English politician, poet, playwright, and novelist. He was immensely popular with the reading public and wrote a stream of bestselling dime-novels which earned him a considerable fortune...
, who built himself a mansion and a small castle-like structure to live undisturbed on this distant island. The tiny castle and the wharf in front of it are still standing today. Henry Bulwer also organized agricultural production on the island to self-sustain his little realm at least to a certain degree, but later sold Yassıada to the Khedive
Khedive
The term Khedive is a title largely equivalent to the English word viceroy. It was first used, without official recognition, by Muhammad Ali Pasha , the Wāli of Egypt and Sudan, and vassal of the Ottoman Empire...
of Ottoman Egypt & Sudan
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Ismail Pasha, who, however, didn't construct any new buildings and completely neglected the island.
With the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923 the island became a property of the Turkish state, and in 1947 Yassıada was handed over to the Turkish Navy
Turkish Navy
The Turkish Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the Turkish Armed Forces.- Ottoman fleet after Mudros :Following the demise of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of World War I, on November 3, 1918, the fleet commander of the Ottoman Navy, Liva Amiral Arif Pasha, ordered all flags to be...
which built several school buildings.
It is also where the trials of the members of the former ruling party, Demokrat Parti, were held after the military coup of 1960. Several of the defendants were sentenced to death, and three of these, including the former Prime Minister of Turkey Adnan Menderes
Adnan Menderes
Adnan Menderes was the first democratically elected Turkish Prime Minister between 1950–1960. He was one of the founders of the Democratic Party in 1946, the fourth legal opposition party of Turkey. He was hanged by the military junta after the 1960 coup d'état, along with two other cabinet...
, were executed.
After the end of the trials, Yassıada was given back to the Turkish Navy and lessons continued to take place at the naval school buildings until 1978.
In 1993 the island became a property of Istanbul University
Istanbul University
Istanbul University is a Turkish university located in Istanbul. The main campus is adjacent to Beyazıt Square.- Synopsis :A madrasa, a religious school, was established sometime in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. An institution of higher education named the...
's department of Marine Life and Sea Products, which used it for lessons and research. But the strong winds on the island made life hard for the students and eventually classes were held elsewhere.
Today the island is a favourite location for scuba diving schools like Balıkadam Türkiye as well as amateur divers.
Sivriada
SivriadaSivriada
Sivriada is one of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul.The island, which has an area of 0.05 km², is officially a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul, Turkey....
currently is deserted. The island was often used by the Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
clerics as a distant place for peaceful worship, and by the Byzantine emperors as a convenient prison to detain prominent people whom they deemed troublesome. The first famous person to be imprisoned on the island by the order of emperor Nikephoros I
Nikephoros I
Nikephoros I or Nicephorus I, Logothetes or Genikos was Byzantine emperor from 802 to 811, when he was killed in the Battle of Pliska....
was Plato of Sakkoudion, the uncle of renowned cleric Theodoros Stoudites
Theodore the Studite
Theodore the Studite was a Byzantine Greek monk and abbot of the Stoudios monastery in Constantinople. He played a major role in the revivals both of Byzantine monasticism and of classical literary genres in Byzantium...
, for supporting his nephew in his conflict with the emperor. Other famous people who stayed in the island for religious and political reasons were Gebon, Basil Skleros, Nikephoritzes
Nikephoritzes
Nikephoritzes was an influential Byzantine eunuch official, who served as chief minister and virtual ruler of the Byzantine Empire during the reign of Emperor Michael VII Doukas . His actual name was Nikephoros; he received the nickname "Nikephoritzes" as a result of his relative youth when he...
(the chief minister of Michael VII Doukas), Patriarch John of Constantinople and Patriarch Michael II of Constantinople. The graves of those who died in the island during the Byzantine period can still be seen today.
The ruins of a Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
settlement and a ninth century Byzantine monastery can still be seen on the shore, close to the fishermen's shelter, a small wharf which is often used by yachts. The most important buildings on the island were built in the ninth century AD, including a church, a chapel dedicated to religious martyrs, a monastery on the eastern end (with its walls still seen today) and a cistern in the center of the island (a part of which can still be seen.)
In 1911 the mayor of Istanbul ordered the stray dogs in the streets to be gathered and deposited to Sivriada, but a severe earthquake which immediately followed the event was perceived as "a punishment by God for abandoning the dogs" and they were transported back to the city.
Kaşık Island
Burgazada
Burgazada, Burgazadası, or Burgaz shortly is the third largest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul.It is officially a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Burgaz is a common setting and even a major theme for writer Sait Faik Abasıyanık, where he also...
and Heybeliada. Kaşık Adası is officially administered by the Burgazada
Burgazada
Burgazada, Burgazadası, or Burgaz shortly is the third largest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul.It is officially a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul, Turkey. Burgaz is a common setting and even a major theme for writer Sait Faik Abasıyanık, where he also...
neighborhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. It is the second-smallest of the Princes' Islands, with an area of 0.006 km² (0.00231661295155521 sq mi).
Tavşan Island
Tavşan AdasıTavşan Adası
Tavşan Adası is the smallest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, to the southeast of Istanbul, Turkey. It is under the administration of the Adalar district of Istanbul Province. The island has an area of 0.004 km2 ....
(meaning "Rabbit Island"; Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
: Νέανδρος Neandros, the name of a mythological figure) is the smallest of the Princes' Islands, with an area of 0.004 km² (0.00154440863437014 sq mi).
External links
- Princes' Islands virtual web site 360 degree official website
- District governor's official website
- District municipality's official website
- Princes' Islands Tour
- Istanbul islands Photographs (clickable map)
- Istanbul's isle of diversity from the Christian Science Monitor, By Yigal Schleifer, July 28, 2005
- The islands that refused to motorize Sustainable Transport, an ITDP publication, By Yaakov Garb, Fall 2002
- Interactive Maps: MultiMap.com, FallingRain.com
- Istanbul islands Turkish Daily News
- CornucopiaCornucopia (magazine)Cornucopia is a magazine about Turkish culture, art and history, published jointly in the United Kingdom and Turkey.-Content:Cornucopia was founded by John Scott and Berrin Torolsan in 1992. It is an English Language magazine that concerns Turkish culture...
special edition on the Princes' Islands, Princes' Islands: Paradise Lost? - Every day a new picture (or someting) of the marvelous city Istanbul (with Kinaliada, Burgazadasi, Heybeliada or Büyükada).