Bozcaada is an Aegean

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

, municipality, and district governorate in

Çanakkale Province Çanakkale Province ( tr, ) is a province of Turkey, located in the northwestern part of the country. It takes its name from the city of Çanakkale. Like Istanbul, Çanakkale province has a European (Thrace) and an Asian (Anatolia) part. The Eu ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

Geography

Bozcaada district covers the Bozcaada island and a total of 17 islets around the main island. The total area of the district (including the islets ) is . The highest point of the district is Göztepe with an altitude of . The district center is situated on the east side of the island at about . It is situated 22 km. (12 Nautical miles) south of Dardanelles Strait (Çanakkale Boğazı) Its distance to

Geyikli Geyikli is a town (''belde'') in the Ezine District, Çanakkale Province, Turkey.Belde Belediyesi

the nearest sea port on the main land (
Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
) is 7.5 km ( 4.5 nautical miles). The distance from Geyikli to
Çanakkale Çanakkale (pronounced ), ancient ''Dardanellia'' (), is a city and seaport in Turkey in Çanakkale province on the southern shore of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point. The population of the city is 195,439 (2021 estimate). Çanakkale is ...
(province center) is about . Up until recently, Bozcaada was unique in Turkey as being a district with no rural population. (Because of metropolitan municipalities established after the 1980s there are now some other districts with no rural population.) Its population (all in the district center) is 3023 as of 2018. In 2012 it was 2465 and in 2010 it was 2354.

History
In the antiquity the island was known as ''Leukophrys'' and in Greek mythology it was ''Tenedos''. It was mentioned in
Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...
's
Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Odysse ...
. In the medieval age it was a
Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
possession. Towards the end of the medieval age it was left to
Republic of Venice The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia, ...
by the emperor
John V Palaiologos John V Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( el, Ἰωάννης Παλαιολόγος, ''Iōánnēs Palaiológos''; 18 June 1332 – 16 February 1391) was Byzantine emperor from 1341 to 1391, with interruptions. Biography John V was the son of E ...
as a ransom. In 1381 however, following Venetian Genoese War it was evacuated by the Venetians according to the
Peace of Turin The Peace of Turin of 1381, ended the War of Chioggia (1376–81), in which Venice, allied with Cyprus and Milan, had narrowly escaped capture by the forces of Genoa, Hungary, Austria, Padua and the Patriarchate of Aquileia. Venice had overcome th ...
. In 1455 it was annexed by the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
during the reign of
Mehmet II Mehmed II ( ota, محمد ثانى, translit=Meḥmed-i s̱ānī; tr, II. Mehmed, ; 30 March 14323 May 1481), commonly known as Mehmed the Conqueror ( ota, ابو الفتح, Ebū'l-fetḥ, lit=the Father of Conquest, links=no; tr, Fâtih Su ...
. Although the Venetians tried to regain the island, in 1464 the Ottoman control was secured by Mahmut Pasha. As a result of the former evacuation, the island was uninhabited during the early years of Ottoman administration and the Ottoman Empire populated the present Bozcaada district by using tax exemption. Ottoman Empire also restored the castle which was demolished during the Venetian-Genoese war. Turks called the island Bozcaada meaning grayish island and the famous cartographer
Piri Reis Ahmet Muhiddin Piri ( 1465 – 1553), better known as Piri Reis ( tr, Pîrî Reis (military rank), Reis or ''Hacı Ahmet Muhittin Pîrî Bey''), was a Navigation, navigator, Geography in medieval Islam, geographer and Cartography, cartographer. ...
of the 16th century also used this name in his maps. In 1923 when the Turkish Republic was proclaimed, the island was declared a district and the only settlement in Bozcaada became the municipality and district center of Çanakkale Province.

Economy
The major economic activities of Bozcaada are tourism, wineries, and fishing, with tourism as the dominant economic sector. More than 1.5 million tourists visited Bozccaada in 2018, driven in part by an increased presence in the global media.

Places of interest
According to municipality of Bozcaada the historically important buildings are the followingMayor's page
* Bozcaada Castle which was reconstructed by the Ottoman sultan Mehmet II in the 15th century, and repaired by the Ottoman sultan Mahmut II in 1815 is the most important touristic attraction of Bozcaada. It is in the district center facing east. Thus visitors to Bozcaada can observe the castle during their voyage. *Another castle is a casemate which is popularly called Yenikale ("new castle"). Despite its name it is in ruins. It was constructed in 1827 by Hafız Ali Pasha, the governor of Bozcaada. It is situated on a hill to the west of Bozacaada district center *Alaybey mosque was probably built in 1700 by Ahmet Ağa, the governor of Bozcaada. It is partially in ruins. *Yalı camii is a mosque which was built on the foundations of a medieval Venetian building in 1655. It was commissioned by Köprülü Mehmet Pasha (future grand vizier) in 1655. It is now under restoration. *Namazgah fountain (with cistern) was built in 1703. *Kimisis Teodoku (St Mary) church was built in 1869. *The monastery of Aya Paraskevi

Sister cities
*
Valu lui Traian Valu lui Traian (historical name: ''Hasancea'', tr, Hasançay) is a commune in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania. The commune was established in 1897, under the name ''Hasancea''. In 1925 it was renamed ''Valu lui Traian'' (Trajan's ...
, Romania * Gols, Austria

References

External links

For images
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bozcaada, Canakkale Bozcaada district Districts of Çanakkale Province Tenedos Aegean Sea