Heybeliada

Overview

After the ferry leaves Kadıköy, the city slowly falls behind and four green hills rise out of the Sea of Marmara. Pine woods cover them, while old wooden mansions line the lanes below, and a red-roofed building sits on the top of one hill. This is Heybeliada, the second largest of the Princes’ Islands and a place to spend a slow day near Istanbul.

So bring good shoes, leave the car behind and let the island set the pace.

Heybeliada, the Green Princes’ Island

To begin with, the island lies in the district of Adalar, south of the city in the Sea of Marmara. In winter, about 4,400 people live here. In summer, however, owners of summer houses return and the number grows to about 30,000. Even then, there are no private cars, so people walk, ride bicycles or take the small electric vehicles that replaced the horse-drawn phaetons in 2020.

History of Heybeliada

Copper and a saddlebag

In ancient times, the island was called Halki, from the Greek word for copper, because copper was mined here. The Turkish name, on the other hand, came later. Heybeli means with a saddlebag, and the name comes from the dip between the hills, which looks like a bag thrown over a horse.

Monks, an ambassador and a president

For centuries, actually, monasteries stood on the hills. Then, in 1598, Edward Barton, the envoy of Queen Elizabeth I, came here to escape the plague in the city and died on the island. Much later, İsmet İnönü, the second president of Turkey, spent his summers here from 1924, and his family house is now a museum.

What to See on Heybeliada

The Halki Seminary on Hope Hill

On Ümit Tepesi, Hope Hill, the Monastery of the Holy Trinity looks out over the sea. In 1844, it opened as a school for Orthodox clergy, the Halki Theological Seminary, and after the earthquake of 1894 it was rebuilt. In 1971, a new law on private higher education closed it. Our Greek Orthodox Istanbul tour crosses here by ferry after Fener.

The Naval High School and Kamariotissa

First, right by the pier, the white buildings of the Naval High School catch the eye. The school was founded in 1773 and closed in 2016. In its grounds stands Kamariotissa, a late Byzantine church, but it is military land, so it is not open to visitors.

Churches, a synagogue and a mosque

Then, in the village center, the Greek church of Saint Nicholas dates from 1857 and keeps a sacred spring. Close by, the Beth Yaakov Synagogue and the island mosque stand only a few steps apart, a reminder of the many communities that once shared the island.

Çam Limanı Bay

Finally, walk or ride across the island to Çam Limanı, Pine Harbor, a bay on the far side. Above it, at the same time, the old sanatorium, now closed, looks down over the water.

The Old Village of Heybeliada

The flat land behind the quay was the island’s first settlement. There was no quay then, only a pebble beach, some buildings stood over the water, and sea baths lay near the breakwater. Behind them stood a village of one- and two-story wooden houses, mostly of fishermen, and the church stood where it stands today, with the sea in front of it. In time, the village spread uphill to the mosque, and the slopes from there to the beach were known as Ambela, the vineyards. The ancient copper mine that gave the island its old name, Halki, lay at Çam Limanı. Then, in 1868, a priest trained at the Christos Monastery built the Terki Dünya Monastery and the church of Arsenios, rebuilt in wood after the earthquake of 1894.

How to Visit Heybeliada

Getting there

In general, city ferries run from Kabataş and Eminönü in about 70 minutes, and also from Kadıköy. From Bostancı, motorboats take about 25 minutes. However, timetables change between summer and winter, and we plan your crossing on the current city ferry timetable.

Seeing it with us

Heybeliada fits well into our Princes’ Islands tour, together with its big neighbor Büyükada. Read more about all four islands in our guide to the Princes’ Islands, and for the Greek Orthodox world of Istanbul, visit Fener.