Burgazada is the third largest of the islands in Istanbul’s Prince’s Islands archipelago, and the second ferry stop, between Kınalıada and Heybeliada. The history of the island starts with Alexander the Great, before becoming central to the Byzantine “War on Icons”, and later home to Russian royalists fleeing the 1917 Revolution.
But this tumultuous history is far removed from the peaceful, green day-trip destination you see today, which is many an Istanbullu’s favorite of all the Prince’s Islands because of its great beaches, historical buildings, and the hidden beauty spot of Kalpazankaya, a favorite eating spot and watering hole of Sait Faik Abasıyanık, Burgazada local and one of Turkey’s most famous authors.
Easier to get to than Büyükada and with more to see than Kınalıada, Burgazada is a great choice for a bite-sized day trip from Istanbul, whatever your interests. Please watch the rest of our video! Let us know what you think or if there is anywhere else you want us to cover, and if you need help planning a trip or move to Turkey, let us know in the comments.
HISTORY OF BURGAZADA
Burgazada enters the historical record as the island of Antigoni. Alexander the Great conquered Byzantium in 334 BC. After his death, the city fell under the control of his general Demetrius I of Macedon, who built a fort on the island and named it after his father Antigonus I Monophthalmus.
The name Antigoni stuck under the Romans and Byzantines, who founded several monasteries on the island, which later became convenient places to exile troublesome political rivals and dissidents.
The most important figure to be exiled to the island was Methodios the Confessor, who did a good job of eliminating extremists on both sides of so-called Byzantine War on Icons, which had divided society for 100 years, finally laying the issue to rest. For his efforts he is still venerated by both Orthodox and Catholic Christians.
Around this time the name of the island changed to Pyrgos, the Greek word for tower, because of a massive lookout tower that stood here until the 1800s, which is where the name Burgaz comes from. The island was one of the last parts of Constantinople to be conquered by the Ottomans in 1453, and thereafter retained much of its Greek character.
When Lenin’s Red Army defeated the anti-communist White Russians in the early 1920s, 2 million Russians fled the country, and around 150,000 of them headed for the Ottoman Empire, mostly settling in Istanbul, at one point constituting up to 10% of the city’s population.
They were generally not welcome as Russia had been the Ottomans’ arch enemy for two centuries at this point and had invaded eastern Anatolia just a few years earlier. Many found refuge on the sparsely populated and largely Christian Burgazada. Ironically, they were joined by their own former arch enemy Leon Trotsky, after he was exiled to Büyükada by Stalin in 1923.
In the 1940s, local resident Sait Faik Abasıyanık, one of Turkey’s most respected poets and writers, single-handedly created a new literary style with his piercing but humanistic portrayals of modern life, from his family home in Burgazada putting his hood on the cultural map.
In 2003, a forest fire decimated most of Burgazada’s woodland, though it is slowly growing back.
SIGHTS OF BURGAZADA
The Church of John the Baptist is built on top of the monastery of the same name, and the home of many exiles, including Methodios the Confessor before he unified the Orthodox Church in the 820s. The church you see today was built in 1899 and was extensively restored after an earthquake in 1999.
On the northern shore of the island, the Monastery of St George Garipi and the church behind it have existed since the 1700s but what you see today was largely built in 1897 and restored in 1999. During the Russian revolution it was a refuge for White Russian refugees.
On the top of Bayraktepe stands the Monastery of the Transfiguration, which was founded by Emperor Basil I in the late 800s on the site of an Ancient Greek temple. The current church was built 1000 years later.
Between 1934 and 1954 the house at 15 Çayır Aralığı Sokak belonged to writer Sait Faik Abasıyanık, who did most of his most important work here. The building is now a museum dedicated to the man himself.
The best and most accessible beach on the island is Madam Marta Koyu, named after a local 1920s celebrity Armenian fashion designer.
TRANSPORTATION TO/FROM BURGAZADA
Burgazada is so small that you can walk anywhere you need to go, but renting a bike is a good option.
It will take you a few hours to see the whole island on foot.
Ferries run between around 7 am and 11 pm. The journey will cost you about $2 each way and will take between 45 and 90 minutes, depending on where you’re traveling from. Kabataş ferry terminal on the European side and Kadıköy on the Asian side have the most regular and late-running services to all the islands.
To learn about Burgazada’s neighboring islands, check out the rest of our series.
EATING AND DRINKING IN BURGAZADA
One of the best restaurants and probably the best view on all the islands is Kalpazankaya (Smuggler’s Stone), at the far end of the island, with great mezzes and seafood. It was made famous as the favorite restaurant and watering hole of Sait Faik Abasıyanık, set next to an excellent beach and beauty spot. The lush, panoramic 30-minute walk there and back is a favorite local pastime in itself.
Back in the center of town, Antigoni is a great place for a seafood blowout and has the best and most imaginative menu on the waterfront.
Around the corner, Indos Pub is the hippest place in town with good drinks and live music.
ACCOMMODATION IN BURGAZADA
The best hotel deal on Burgazada is Pyrgos Hotel & Restaurant, built in a seafront mansion with excellent views, an attached restaurant, a hearty included breakfast, and big, clean rooms at reasonable prices.
Have you been to Burgazada? Do you agree with our recommendations or is there anything we should change? And are there any other places you would like us to cover? Let us know in the comments and thanks for watching.
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For ESL instructors, we’ve also shared comprehension, vocabulary, and discussions questions, as well as a crossword puzzle.
