Princes’ Islands

The Princes' Islands are composed of nine islands about 20 km southeast of the center of Istanbul in the Sea of Marmara. These nine small islands were called the Princes’ Islands by foreign chroniclers yet in the Byzantine period, when princes and empresses were exiled in the islands, some of them sentenced to death.

Today, however, citizens of Istanbul call them simply Adalar, meaning "The Islands". Later, during the Ottoman period, especially around 19th century with the invention of steamboats, Princes’ Islands became popular resorts for Istanbul's rich people, where they built their summer houses. The four bigger islands, namely, Büyükada, Heybeliada, Burgazada and Kinaliada, became popular destinations and still are today. Jewish, Armenian, and Greek communities constituted a large part of the inhabitants of the islands. Today, the islands are popular tourist destinations for daily excursions especially during the summer season. There are regular passenger ferries these four islands. The other five are not served by ferries, though and remain almost uninhabited. There are many monasteries and historic buildings on the islands can be seen dating back to medieval times. Nowadays, no private motor vehicles are allowed on any of the islands. Therefore, visitors and holidaymakers have to walk, ride bicycles, or take horse-drawn carriages, called faytons.