#5 Istanbul through my lens: Part 1

In this post I want to take you to the Buyakada. 1 of the 9 Prince's Islands of Istanbul. Buyuk Ada literarily means Big Island. You probably already guessed it. It is the biggest island of the Prince's Islands.

Why it is called Prince's Islands
Prince Islands is a group of 9 Islands in the Sea of Marmara and it is called the Adalar district which is part of Istanbul. In the past the Islands were home to Byzantine princes which got exiled from the mainland. Later members of the Ottoman family got exiled to these Islands . These days the resident's of the islands consist of wealthy people from Istanbul. In the summer they use their Victorian-Era cottages, Ottoman mansions and 19th century houses as a summer residence. In the summer the amount of the inhabitants peaks up to 40.000 and in the winter it falls back to 6500 people.

Transportation
Motorised vehicles are banned and forbidden since 1928 on the Princes Islands. Only service vehicles from the government are allowed. The inhabitants and tourists get around by walking, bike or phaetons. The horse drawn phaetons are used for tours around the Island and as taxis.

At the top of Buyuk Ada
When you want to reach the top. Better prepare yourself for a steep walk up. The phaetons can bring you only to a certain hight. The rest of the hill is to steep for the horses. On a hot day this walk can be exhausting. But it is definitely worth the walk. At the top you will find Ayai Yorgi Church from the 6th century. A garden where you can sit and enjoy the magnificent view. You can eat and drink there. I must say that the food is pretty good and the Raki (Turkish Spirit) goes in very smoothly. But be aware that when you start to go down you can start to feel more drunk because of the oxygen changes. The oxygen levels up the top is not the same as down.

The island on the right in the picture is named Sedef adasi. It means Mother of Pearl Island. It is the smallest island and it consists of 108 homes. It is an private Island that is purchased by a man named Şehsuvar Menemencioğlu. He purchased it in 1956 and introduced a strict building code to preserve the nature on the island. The most of the pine trees you see on this Island is planted by himself.

Wild
I was surprised to see wild horses on this Island. I actually never saw wild horses in the wild and was definitely not expecting to see it on Buyukada.

How to get there
You can get from multiple places in Istanbul with a ferry to different Islands. You can find more information on this website.
http://www.ido.com.tr/en/timetables/2017-yaz-tarifesi/1101