Princes' Islands
Princes' Islands
Adalar | |
---|---|
Istanbul | |
Government | |
• Mayor | Erdem Gül (CHP) |
Area | 11 km2 (4 sq mi) |
Population (2022)[1] | 16,690 |
• Density | 1,500/km2 (3,900/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+3 (TRT) |
Postal code | 34970 |
Area code | 0216 |
Website | www |
The Princes' Islands (
Adalar District is made up of the main 4 Büyükada, Kınalıada, Burgazada and Heybeliada islands and the other smaller islands.
Etymology
There are several references to the islands in the ancient Greek period, when they went by the name Δημόνησοι (Dēmónēsoi), often transliterated as Demonesi or Demonisi.[3][4] During the Middle Byzantine period the archipelago has been recorded by the 6th century lexicographer Hesychius of Alexandria as Δημόνησοι (Dēmónēsoi), meaning "demon's islands" in Medieval Greek. In 1795 German cartographer Franz Ludwig Güssefeld recorded the islands under the name Papadónisi, meaning "priest's islands". The modern name of the island chain comes from the name of the biggest island, Büyükada (Prinkipo in Greek), which supplanted the older names and become the new name for the whole archipelago.[5]
According to Sevan Nişanyan there has not been a historical proper name for the islands in the Turkish language.[5]
History
During the period of the
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. According to the Ottoman General Census of 1881/82-1893, the kaza of the Princes' Islands (Adalar) had a total population of 7,937, consisting of 5,501 Greeks, 533 Armenians, 254 Muslims, 133 Catholics, 65 Jews, 27 Latins, 7 Protestants, 3 Bulgarians and 1.404 foreign citizens.[6]
The Halki seminary, formally the Theological School of Halki (Greek: Θεολογική Σχολή Χάλκης and Turkish: Ortodoks Ruhban Okulu), was founded on 1 October 1844 on the island of Halki (Turkish: Heybeliada), the second-largest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara.[7] It was the main school of theology of the Eastern Orthodox Church's Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople until the Turkish parliament enacted a law banning private higher-education institutions in 1971.[citation needed] The theological school is located at the top of the island's Hill of Hope, on the site of the Byzantine-era Monastery of the Holy Trinity. The premises of the school continue to be maintained by the monastery and are used to host conferences. It is possible to visit the island where it is located via boat in approximately one hour from the shore of Istanbul.[citation needed]
In 1912 the islands had a population of 10,250
Geography
Princes' Islands are located in the Sea of Marmara, near the coast of southeastern Istanbul. The distance from the Istanbul mainland changes between 13 and 25 km (8.1 and 15.5 mi), the closest being Kınalıada and farthest being Tavşanadası. Excluding Yassıada, Sivriada and Tavşanadası, all of the archipelago is located on a 12-kilometre long (7.5 mi) line running from northwest (Kınalıada) to southeast (Sedefadası).
The island chain consist of four larger islands,
All islands contain hills, the highest being Büyükada's Aya Yorgi Hill with 203 meters of elevation.
Islands
Büyükada
Heybeliada
Burgazada
Burgazada (meaning "Fortress Island" in Turkish; Greek: Ἀντιγόνη, romanized: Antigonē) 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
Kınalıada
Kınalıada (meaning "Henna Island" in Turkish, named after the colour of its earth; Greek: Πρώτη, romanized: Prōtē, "First") is the nearest island to the European and Asian side of Istanbul, about 12 kilometres (7 mi) to the south. 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. This was the island most used as a place of exile in Byzantine times (the most notable exile being the former emperors Romanos I Lekapenos from 944, and Romanos IV Diogenes, after the Battle of Manzikert, 1071). Also, this island has a historical abbey top of it. From the 19th century to the mid-20th century, Kınalıada was predominantly Armenian, giving it the highest density of Armenians living anywhere in Istanbul, albeit mainly in summer homes. During the summer, approximately 90% of the population on the island was Armenian.[10][11] The island was also a summer retreat for the Armenian patriarchs of Istanbul. The islands are reachable by ferry services that depart from
Sedef Island
Sedef Island, (Turkish: Sedef Adası, meaning "Mother-of-Pearl Island" in Turkish; Greek: Τερέβινθος, romanized: Terebinthos, also in the modern corrupted form Αντιρόβυθος, Antirovythos) 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. He has forbidden the building of structures with more than 2 floors. The island's Greek name, Terebinthos, means "
Yassıada
Sivriada
Kaşık Island
Kaşık Island, (meaning "Spoon Island" in Turkish; Greek: Πίτα, romanized: Pita) 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 (0.0023 sq mi).
Tavşan Island
Tavşan Adası (meaning "Rabbit Island" in Turkish; Greek: Νέανδρος, romanized: Neandros, the name of a mythological figure) is the smallest of the Princes' Islands, with an area of 0.004 km2 (0.0015 sq mi).
Former islands
The Vordonos Islands, which were 700 meters away from the Istanbul mainland, were hypothesized to be almost fully submerged during the 1010 earthquake, though this has been contested by citing a 1770 drawing of the islands in The Gentleman's Magazine. Two skerries that are located off the coast of Dragos and Küçükyalı have been identified with the sunken islands of Vordonosi. The skerries currently contain two lighthouses to ward off ships against shallow waters.[13][14]
Politics and administration
The mayor of the Adalar district is Erdem Gül of the CHP. Historically Recep Koç (ANAP, 1984-1994), Can Esen (ANAP, 1994-1999), Coşkun Özden (ANAP, afterwards AKP 1999-2009), Mustafa Farsakoğlu (CHP, 2009-2014) and Atilla Aytaç (CHP, 2014-2019) had been mayors of the district. The provincial governor is Mevlüt Kurban. In the 2023 Turkish presidential election the district voted overwhelmingly for the Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu with more than 74% of the votes cast for him.[15]
There are five
- Burgazada
- Heybeliada
- Kınalıada
- Maden
- Nizam
Economy
According to a 2017 study Adalar is among the wealthiest districts of Istanbul concerning monthly
Tourism
During the summer months, the Princes' Islands are popular destinations for day trips from Istanbul. As for cultural tourism, Büyükada happens to have the first and only city museum in İstanbul, the Museum of the Princes' Islands in Aya Nikola Bay.
Transportation
As there is almost no motor traffic on the Islands, the only transport being bicycles and horse and cart, they are more peaceful than the city of Istanbul. They are just a short ferry ride from Istanbul, with ferries departing from
Notable residents
Many Turks fondly remember the Islands as the home of the famous short-story writer Sait Faik Abasıyanık (1906-1954) and of the football legend Lefter Küçükandonyadis (1925-2012).
After the deportation of Leon Trotsky from the Soviet Union in February 1929, his first residence in exile was a house in Büyükada, the largest of the Princes' Islands; he lived there for four years between 1929 and 1933.
The famous poet
Famous Armenian writers and poets have lived on the islands, including Zahrad (1924-2007) and Zabel Sibil Asadour (1863-1934), both of whom lived in Kınalıada.[18]
According to
International relations
Princes' Islands are
- Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan
- Nacka, Sweden
- Palaio Faliro, Greece
- Pokhara, Nepal
- Santa Ana, Costa Rica
- Veles, North Macedonia
References
- ^ TÜİK. Archivedfrom the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ^ "İl ve İlçe Yüz ölçümleri". General Directorate of Mapping. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ^ Konrad Mannert (1802). Geographie der Griechen und Römer: Kleinasien. Vol. 6. Grattenauer. p. 595. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ Samuel S. Cox (1887). Isles of the Princes. G. P. Putnam's Sons. p. 1. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ^ a b "Adalar". nisanyanmap.com. Archived from the original on 31 May 2010. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- The University of Wisconsin Press, p. 138-139.
- ^ J. Theodore Bent, ‘A Scholastic Island’. Macmillan’s Magazine, 1889, Vol. 60 (May/Oct), pp. 444–449.
- ^ George Sotiriadis, An Ethnological Map Illustrating Hellenism in the Balkan Peninsula and Asia Minor, 1918.
- ^ "Istanbul: Historic Greek Orphanage to Become Environmental Center Under Patriarch Bartholomew I". 9 April 2012. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
- EurasiaNet. Archived from the originalon 20 May 2020.
Kinali, one of the smaller islands, is a favorite among Istanbul's Armenians.
- ^ Schleifer, Yigal (28 July 2005). "Istanbul's isle of diversity". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on 21 September 2019.
Tiny Kinali, however, remains home to a bustling summertime Armenian community.
- ^ Balıkadam Türkiye Scuba Diving Club Archived 2 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Ertuğrul, Erman (13 June 2017). "İstanbul'un 1010 Depremiyle Denize Gömülen Onuncu Adası: Vordonisi". Arkeofili (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ Demir, Eren (20 January 2020). "İstanbul'daki depremde batan ada Vordonisi – Atlas" (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "İstanbul Adalar Seçim Sonuçları 2023 - 2. Tur Seçim Sonucu Ve Oy Oranları". www.sabah.com.tr. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ Mahalle Archived 18 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ^ "İşte İstanbul'un en zengin ilçeleri (İstanbul'da ilçelere göre gelir dağılımı)". Posta (in Turkish). 26 April 2018. Archived from the original on 18 November 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "ADALAR'DA İZ BIRAKANLAR". Eladeneceli. 21 December 2013. Archived from the original on 21 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
- ISBN 9783863095277. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2019. - Volume 12 of Bamberger Orientstudien - Hosted at Kooperativer Bibliotheksverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (KOBV) // Cited: p. 37 Archived 30 December 2023 at the Wayback Machine.
- ISBN 9783863095277. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 27 September 2019. - Volume 12 of Bamberger Orientstudien - Hosted at Kooperativer Bibliotheksverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (KOBV) // Cited: p. 39 Archived 30 December 2023 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Kardeş Şehirler". adalar.bel.tr (in Turkish). Adalar. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
External links
- Princes' Islands virtual web site 360 degree official website (in Turkish)
- District governor's official website (in Turkish)
- District municipality's official website (in Turkish)
- Istanbul's isle of diversity from the Christian Science Monitor, By Yigal Schleifer, 28 July 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
- Cornucopia special edition on the Princes' Islands, Princes' Islands: Paradise Lost?
- Princes' Islands Princes' Islands information, know more about Princes' Islands
- Map including the Princes' Islands