Büyükada (, rendered ''Prinkipos'' or ''Prinkipo''), meaning "Big Island" in Turkish, is the largest of the
Princes' Islands
The Princes' Islands (; the word "princes" is plural, because the name means "Islands of the Princes", , ''Pringiponisia''), officially just Adalar (); alternatively the Princes' Archipelago; is an archipelago off the coast of Istanbul, Turkey, ...
in the
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...
, near
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
, with an area of about . It is made up of the Maden and Nizam neighbourhoods in the
Adalar
The Princes' Islands (; the word "princes" is plural, because the name means "Islands of the Princes", , ''Pringiponisia''), officially just Adalar (); alternatively the Princes' Archipelago; is an archipelago off the coast of Istanbul, Istanbul ...
(''Islands'') district of
Istanbul Province
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
,
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
.
During the first half of the 20th century, the island was popular with prosperous
Greeks
Greeks or Hellenes (; , ) are an ethnic group and nation native to Greece, Greek Cypriots, Cyprus, Greeks in Albania, southern Albania, Greeks in Turkey#History, Anatolia, parts of Greeks in Italy, Italy and Egyptian Greeks, Egypt, and to a l ...
and
Armenians
Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...
as a refuge from the summer heat of Istanbul.
Nowadays the island's demographics are more similar to a typical suburb of mainland Istanbul.
Historically, many residents of Büyükada were fishermen. However, by the late 2010s tourism to Büyükada swelled enormously as it became a favourite day-trip destination for visitors from greenery-starved Arab countries in particular. The surge in tourism was a major factor in bringing to an end the tradition of using phaetons as the only transport on the island in 2020.
Visitors have been writing about Büyükada since the Turkish travel writer
Evliya Çelebi
Dervish Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi (), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman explorer who travelled through his home country during its cultural zenith as well as neighboring lands. He travelled for over 40 years, rec ...
recorded in his ''Seyahatname'' (Book of Travels) that there were 200 Greek houses on the island in 1640 and that it was ringed with dalyan fishermen. In 1884 the French historian
Gustave Schlumberger
Gustave Léon Schlumberger (17 October 1844 – 9 May 1929) was a French historian and numismatist who specialised in the era of the crusades and the Byzantine Empire. His ' (1878–82) is still considered the principal work on the coinage of the ...
published ''Les Iles des Princes,'' describing his visit to the archipelago.
Ernest Mamboury recorded the sites of the island in his ''Les Iles des Princes,'' published in 1943 and
Jak Deleon updated his work in 2003 in his ''Büyükada: A Guide to the Monuments.'' After leaving the island in 1933 Trotsky wrote an essay called ''Farewell to Prinkipo''. In 1997
Çelik Gülersoy, who had worked to restore some of the island's buildings, published ''Büyükada Dün (Büyükada Yesterday)''. In 2007
John Freely's ''The Princes' Islands'' exhaustively listed the historic mansions on the island. In 2009 the poet and translator Joachim Sartorius published an exquisite short travelogue called ''The Princes' Islands: Istanbul's Archipelago'' which mainly focused on Büyükada. In 2023,
Yapı Kredi Yayınları published ''Büyükada – The Moris Danon Collection'' by
Büke Uras, which documents a period from the second quarter of the 19th century to the middle of 20th century with photographs and supporting text.
The island is accessible by
Şehir Hatları ferries from
Eminönü
Eminönü, historically known as Pérama, is a predominantly commercial waterfront area of Istanbul within the Fatih district near the confluence of the Golden Horn with the southern entrance of the Bosphorus strait and the Sea of Marmara. It is l ...
and
Kabataş on the European side of Istanbul and from
Kadıköy
Kadıköy () is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district on the Asian side of Istanbul Province, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 25 km2, and its population is 467,919 (2023). It is a large and populous area in the Asian si ...
and
Bostancı
Bostancı () is a neighborhood in the municipality and district of Kadıköy, Istanbul Province, Turkey.
Description
Bostancı is on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, on the shore of the Sea of Marmara. As the easternmost neighborhood of the Kadı ...
on the Asian side of the city.
Geography
Büyükada is 4.3 km (2.6 miles) long and 1.3 km (0.8 miles) wide. The centre of the island is dominated by two peaks. The one nearest to the ferry landing is the Hill of Jesus (
Turkish: ''İsa Tepesi''), which is 164 m (538 ft) high. The second is the Great Hill (
Turkish: ''Yücetepe'') which is 202 m (663 ft) high. The island has several small strips of sand and pebble beach too, the most popular being Yörük Ali Plajı near Dilburnu.
Most development on the island is on its northern side with the south still largely wooded.
History
Byzantine era
During the period of Byzantine rule the Princes' Islands became a place where rulers founded churches and monasteries but where they also dumped their enemies to prevent them from plotting to harm them. The Byzantine Emperor
Justin II
Justin II (; ; died 5 October 578) was Eastern Roman emperor from 565 until 578. He was the nephew of Justinian I and the husband of Sophia, the niece of Justinian's wife Theodora.
Justin II inherited a greatly enlarged but overextended empir ...
was the first of the rulers who is known to have built a convent (as well as a palace) on Prinkipo in C.E. 569.
This was expanded by
Empress Eirene and soon began to serve as a place of exile for the Byzantine empresses
Irene
Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), Greek for "peace".
Irene, and related names, may refer to:
* Irene (given name)
Places
* Irene, Gauteng, South Africa
* Irene, South Dakota, United States
* Irene, Texas, United States
...
,
Euphrosyne
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Euphrosyne (; ) is a goddess, one of the three Charites. She was sometimes named Euthymia () or Eutychia ().
Family
According to Hesiod, Euphrosyne and her sisters Thalia and Aglaea are the daughters ...
,
Theophano,
Zoe and
Anna Dalassena.
Later history
Prinkipo was one of the last places that the Ottomans managed to seize from the Byzantine. It then settled down as a sleepy backwater until 1846 when the first ferry service made it easily accessible from mainland
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
/
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
whereupon it became an increasingly popular summer retreat for wealthier city residents. Most of its Greek residents left in the
population exchange of 1923 or after the
pogrom of 1955 and the expulsion order of 1966. Many of the Armenians were driven out in 1924. Just a few Jews still live on the island.
At one time iron mining took place on the island in the area now called Maden (Mine). International tourism to the Princes' Islands was relatively slow to take off but by 2015 was becoming the dominant economic factor.
Transport on the island
Until 2020 the only transportation on Büyükada (as on the other inhabited Princes' islands) had been horse-drawn phaetons (''fayton''). However, the explosion of tourism on the island had made this increasingly unsustainable and, under pressure from animal-rights activists, the decision was made to replace the horses with electric vehicles, bringing to an end a tradition that had made the islands unique in Turkey.
The introduction of electric buses on the island prompted protests from local residents who see them as a threat to the island's pedestrianized areas.
Places of interest
By far the most important attraction for tourists on Büyükada is the
Greek Orthodox
Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...
monastery of
Hagios Georgios Koudonas (St George of the Bells) on Yüceptepe, which was probably founded in the 10th century although what remains on the site now dates from the mid-18th to 19th centuries. The monastery's name recalls an early 17th-century legend according to which a shepherd boy watching his flocks heard the sound of bells coming from underground, dug down into the earth and uncovered an icon of St George that had been buried to protect it from the Fourth Crusaders in 1204. A copy of the icon can be seen in the monastery church although the original is now in the Ptriarchate church in Fener. The monastery now consists of half a dozen buildings spread across three levels and is he focus of an annual pilgrimage every April. Traditionally standard phaeton tours used to bring visitors to the foot of the rocky path leading up to the monastery but these ceased to operate in 2020. The panoramic view back to mainland Istanbul from the monastery is reason enough for a visit.
A second, less frequently visited
Greek Orthodox
Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...
monastery dedicated to Sotiros Christou.(Christ the Saviour) stands on the top of İsa Tepesi. Although it, too, dates back to Byzantine times, most of what a modern visitor sees is work of the mid-19th century.

Also on İsa Tepesi is what should be the pride and joy of the island but is instead on its very last legs, the huge
Greek Orthodox Orphanage (
Turkish: Rum Yetimhanesi) believed to be the largest wooden construction in Europe and the second largest in the world. Originally intended to be a casino, it was built for a French company in 1898 and was designed by the Levantine architect
Alexander Vallaury
Alexandre Vallaury (1850–1921) was a French- Ottoman architect who established architectural education in the Ottoman Empire at the School of Fine Arts in Constantinople. Nicknamed "architect of the city" () by Osman Hamdi Bey, Vallaury, alon ...
. After
Sultan Abdülhamid II refused to allow its use as a casino, it was bought by a woman who donated it to the
Patriarchate
Patriarchate (, ; , ''patriarcheîon'') is an ecclesiological term in Christianity, referring to the office and jurisdiction of a patriarch.
According to Christian tradition, three patriarchates—Rome, Antioch, and Alexandria—were establi ...
to serve as an orphanage which it did until 1964 except during the First World War when it was used by the
Kuleli Military School. The building was given back to the Patriarchate by the state in 2010 but nothing was done to protect it from decay. In 2021 plans to restore the building were finally announced. In the meantime it is off-limits to visitors.
There are several churches on the island although they are not always accessible to visitors. These are the Greek Orthodox Churches of the Panagia (Virgin Mary) and Hagios Demetrios (St Dimitri), the Franciscan Church of San Pacifico and the Armenian Church of Surp Astvadzadzin Verapolium.
One synagogue,
Hesed Le Avram, still survives on the island although it is only open in the summer. The Hamidiye Mosque was built for
Abdul Hamid II
Abdulhamid II or Abdul Hamid II (; ; 21 September 184210 February 1918) was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1876 to 1909, and the last sultan to exert effective control over the fracturing state. He oversaw a Decline and modernizati ...
in 1893.
The island is still home to many beautiful 19th-century mansions especially along Çankaya Caddesi, which has been described as "one of the most beautiful streets in the world". Among the best known mansions are the Con Pasa Köşkü, the Yelkencizade Köşkü, the Hacopolo Köşkü, the Fabiato Köşkü and the Mizzi Köşkü.
Opened in 2010, the
Museum of the Princes' Islands
Museum of the Princes' Islands () is a museum on Büyükada of Princes' Islands () in Istanbul, Turkey dedicated to the past of the Princes' Islands.
Location and history
The museum is situated in the eastern side of Büyükada, the biggest islan ...
(
Turkish: Adalar Muzesi) tells the story of the islands' people as much as of its buildings.
In the 19th century the island had several well known hotels. The most conspicuous survivor is the Splendid Palace Hotel (1911) which still lords it over the waterfront with its two domes which once covered water cisterns.
The pretty ferry terminal was designed by
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
architect
Mihran Azaryan in
First National Architectural style in 1899 and started service in 1915.
It once housed the island's cinema. Not far inland is a clock tower erected in 1923, the year of the founding of the Turkish Republic. Beside it is Fayton Meydanı which was, until 2020, filled with phaetons and their horses waiting to take visitors on a tour of the island.
St George's Day Pilgrimage
Every year on St George's Day (23 April) visitors flock to the island to take part in a pilgrimage to the monastery of Hagios Georgios Koudanas on Yücetepe. Both Christians and Muslims take part in arcane rituals such as winding thread all the way along the path leading to the monastery. Since the date coincides with Turkey's Children and National Sovereignty Day public holiday (and sometimes with the Easter tourism period) the crowds attending can be enormous.
Notable people
* The artist
Fahrelnissa Zeid was born on the island in 1901. Her brother
Cevat Şakir Kabaağaçlı ('the Fisherman of Halikarnassos') also spent much of his youth on the island.
* After his deportation from the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
,
Leon Trotsky
Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...
settled on what was then Prinkipo in April 1929 and lived there until July 1933. While there, Trotsky lived in a house called the Yanaros mansion which is now in ruins.
*
Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII (born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death on 3 June 1963. He is the most recent pope to take ...
(Angelo Giuseppe Roncali), the "Turkish Pope", lived here as papal nuncio in 1933-34
* Con Paşa AKA Trasivolos Yannaros who established the first ferry services to the island
*
Aliye Berger
Aliye Berger (24 December 1903 – 9 August 1974) was a Turkish engraver and painter. She is one of the first engravers of Turkey. She is known for her expressionist engravings and winning the painting competition of Yapı Kredi Bank in 1954. ...
, Turkish artist
*
Füreyya, Turkish ceramicist
*
Reşat Nuri Güntekin, Turkish writer
*
Mîna Urgan, Turkish writer
Gallery
File:Büyükada.JPG, Aerial view of the island
File:Adalar 5581.jpg, A typical Ottoman era mansion in Büyükada
File:Buyukada 1199.jpg, A typical Ottoman era mansion in Büyükada
File:Büyükada_Köşk_(2).jpg, Ottoman era house in the streets of Büyükada
File:Büyükada Köşk.jpg, Ottoman era house in the streets of Büyükada
File:Adalar_5582.jpg, Ottoman era houses in the streets of Büyükada
File:Adalar_5583.jpg, Ottoman era houses in the streets of Büyükada
File:Büyükada_Splendid_Palace.jpg, Splendid Palace Hotel
File:Rıza_Derviş_House_(14689747653).jpg, Rıza Derviş House
File:The isles of the Princes; or, The pleasures of Prinkipo (IA islesofprincesor00coxsrich).pdf, ''The isles of the Princes; or, The pleasures of Prinkipo'' by Samuel S. Cox
References
External links
Büyükadaat Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality website
Büyük Ada Travel Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Buyukada
Islands of the Sea of Marmara
Islands of Turkey
Seaside resorts in Turkey
Tourism in Istanbul
Fishing communities in Turkey
Neighbourhoods of Adalar, Istanbul
Islands of Istanbul Province