Burgazada, Princes' Islands

Burgazada Island is only 1.5 km² and is the third largest of the Princes' Islands. It looks like a large hill when you look at it from the sea but the only hill on the island is the ‘Peak of Christ’ which is 170 metres high. It’s also known as Bayrak Tepe, meaning ‘Flag Hill’ inTurkish.

Almost all of the Princes' Islands were used to isolate disgraced priests and princes who - for one reason or another - were a threat to the established government. There were plenty of monasteries in which the exiles, doomed to disgrace and loneliness, died. 

Burgazada, or simply Burgaz, means  “fort” in Turkish. Back in the 4th-3rd centuries BC, Demetrius I Poliorket, who ruled the ancient Greek state of Macedonia at that time, built a well-fortified fort on Burgaz, which was known as Antigoni in Greek.  His reign was a series of constant armed clashes and wars with many neighboring states. Demetrius dreamed of expanding the borders of his state, which is why a fort appeared on Antigoni. 

As on the other Prince’s islands there are no vehicles except for horse-drawn ones. But the island is so small that you can just walk around it. Thanks to this the Princes' Islands and the Sea of ​​Marmara have been preserved.

The island is immersed in dense, lush greenery, hiding neat snow-white villas and hotels. Most of the buildings are clustered at the foot of the hill. 

The island is also known for the first private Istanbul zoo, which is in the picturesque corner of the island and a sanatorium which was built in 1928. But the main attraction of Burgazada Island is the statue and museum of the Turkish poet and writer Sait Faik Abasyyanyk who lived on the island. Today you can visit the famous Istanbul Museum in his former house. The museum includes a death mask and many works of the famous writer.

You will find the statue of him in Kalpazankaya restaurant, where he was a regular. His statue, with a glass in his hand proudly "sits" in his favorite place. The owner of the restaurant every day fills the glass with raki, the Turkish national liquor.