I continue to tell stories from Istanbul. The story will be about the island of Buyukada. Istanbul is a very large city, surrounded by the Black and Marmara Seas and the Bosporus Strait dividing it into two parts. A large number of islands are located in the waters of the Sea of Marmara and a group of several, called Princes, are part of greater Istanbul.
The Princes’ Islands is a district of Istanbul called Adalar. Group of 9 islands. The largest of them is Buyukada, its area is just over 5 km2. Why they are called Princes found information that when Byzantium was on these lands, princes and other imperial persons and members of their families were exiled here as a punishment.
We got here by ferry from the Katabash pier. Sailed for about 1.5 hours. And I took a lot of pictures from the sea of the receding shores of mainland Istanbul:
Asian side of Istanbul. View from the Sea of Marmara.
Asian side of Istanbul. View from the Sea of Marmara.
On the way, the ferry stopped at another island, Hybeliadu it seems. It is also interesting for us, but we will visit it another time, now we are on our way to the largest island.
The trip was very pleasant and memorable. The sky from the very morning was covered with clouds, storm clouds, dark and heavy. When they set sail, the seagulls still pursued the ferry for some time, after which they fell behind.
Approaching the island of Hybeliada, an incredible thing happened, the rays of the sun broke through the clouds and illuminated the ships moving in the opposite direction. This is an incredible picture, see for yourself.
Gradually, all the surrounding landscapes flooded the sun and they looked fantastic against the dark sky.
And here is Buyukada. It is here that we will spend the day, climb to the highest point, look at the architecture, get acquainted with the local cats, which are in abundance here.
I moved the article about architecture to a separate post, right here:
Architecture on the Princes’ Islands through our eyes. What impressed.
Therefore, I will not dwell on the architectural details, I will only describe the sights and impressions.
In the beginning, we ended up in the central square. We examined the clock tower, looked at the cost of renting bicycles, compared the geography of the island and the climbs uphill and decided to move on foot.
Central square of Buyukada island
Central square of Buyukada island
You can read about the many carved villas in the article about the architecture of the Princes’ Islands, the link to which I posted above and will definitely be duplicated at the end of the article. We were moving along Nizam Street. On the way we saw the building of the Armenian Church (unexpectedly).
Our goal was to climb to the highest point of the island, where the monastery of St. George of Kudun and stunning views of other islands and mainland Istanbul. From the pier it is about 4.5 km, the last kilometer is always uphill. We start moving. Villas first:
And a lot of cats. Some are especially large. Most are shy, but there are also those who make contact.
What disappointed us: all the way (and we walked around the island almost in a circle) we did not find a single place where it would be possible to approach the sea. Every patch is occupied by villas, everything is blocked, there are no approaches. An exception is a place near the port, a short section on which it will not be possible to retire. Therefore, all the way they sighed and watched the sea from afar.
A regular bus runs around the island, if anyone wants to climb not on foot, but by transport. From the bus stop we start climbing up to the monastery
Monastery of St. George of Kudunsky is a Greek Orthodox monastery built in 963 AD, 10th century. The building experienced several shocks, was destroyed by the crusaders, burned by pirates, survived several attacks, but later rebuilt, rebuilt and opened.
It is noteworthy that Muslim pilgrims flock to this monastery on a certain day of the year (April 23). This is Saint George’s day.
And of course, I can’t help but share the stunning views that open in all directions from this height:
Went down the other side of the island to see more. We still hoped to go to the sea, but it didn’t work out … I filmed various buildings, signs, architecture.
And here we are again at the pier. If you stand facing the sea, then if you go to the right, then it’s such a beautiful view for shooting against the backdrop of mainland Istanbul.
Another fact: an amazing clear sea, even though the port with ships is in close proximity. The bottom is visible at a depth of about 2 meters. Various marine coastal life is found in abundance.
The last hugs with another cat, who impudently climbed into his arms.
And we are already on the ferry to go back to the city of contrasts.
Read and watch also in our Zen:
And people created it! Historical Museum in Istanbul.
Architecture on the Princes’ Islands through our eyes. What impressed.
More than 50 attractions in 7 days, review. What to visit in St. Petersburg.
Such a romantic Tarkhankut
Dolmen village. Wild dolmens in the forest. Pshada village.