Burgazada

Burgazada, or Burgaz Adası (Burgaz for short), is the third largest of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul, Turkey. It is officially a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Adalar, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 1,655 (2022). In the past, it was called Antigoni (Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) after Antigonus I Monophthalmus, the father of Demetrius I of Macedon, one of the Diadochi (Successors) of Alexander the Great, who built a fort (Greek: Pyrgos for fort/tower) here. The name Burgas is thought to be derived from Pyrgos. The island covers an area of 1.5 mi2 and is dominated by a single hill, Bayraktepe (Flag Hill, 170m/558 ft), also known as Hristos Tepesi (Christ Hill). In 2003, a terrible fire decimated most of its woodland. Visible just offshore is tiny uninhabited Kaşıkadası (Spoon Island). There are great views back towards the mainland from the remote Kalpazankaya ("Counterfeiter's Rock" in Turkish). Historically, the island was mainly inhabited by Greeks and in the 20th century many Jews from Istanbul settled here. However, with the dwindling of Turkey's minorities, the make-up of the local population is now virtually indistinguishable from the rest of Istanbul. Şehir Hatları ferries connect the island with the mainland from terminals at Eminönü and Kabataş on the European side of Istanbul and from Kadıköy and Bostancı on the Asian side. Most of the ferries call at Burgaz after Kınalıada and before Heybeliada and Büyükada.