The big island of Büyükada is the largest of the Princesses Islands, so it was named by this name, after it was called “Prinkipos”, meaning Princess Island in the ancient Greek language. Its area is about 5.4 square kilometers. The number of the indigenous population of the island during the winter about two thousand people, while this number increases significantly during the summer.
The big island includes two hills, the first overlooking the southern side and the second overlooking the northern side. The southern hill is called the Great Hill “Yücetepe”, and its height is 203 meters above sea level. While the height of the northern hill is about 164 meters, and the monastery hill is called “Manastır Tepsi”.
The treasure of the big island consisting of gold coins dating back to the era of King Philip II of Macedonia and father of Alexander the Great, which was found in 1930 near the Roman Orthodox cemeteries in the Karaja Bek area, is considered one of the oldest monuments indicating the history of the island.
The 207 gold coins were transferred to the Archaeological Museum in Istanbul. The big island, like other islands of the princesses, was also one of the centers of exile during the ancient Byzantine Empire.
As of the fourth decade of the last century, the island began to be decorated with ornate and colorful palaces and buildings, which added beauty to the island's natural beauty, making the island one of the most important tourist attractions in Istanbul.
At the top of the highest hills of the island is the historic Aya Yorgi Church and Monastery. The first building in this area was built in the sixth century AD. This area includes a number of ruins of churches and monasteries, some of which have been able to stand throughout history, while some did not survive and only some of the ruins have reached this day.
While it is located on İsa Tepesi Hill, the Church and Monastery of Hristos, in addition to the Roman Orphanage. Although the Roman orphanage has turned into ruins and turned into a ruin of demolition and ruins, it is considered the largest wooden building in the world.
Al-Hamidiyah Mosque is the most attention-grabbing among the four mosques on the island, in terms of architectural and engineering style. It was built by Sultan Abdul Hamid II.
Besides the picturesque nature of the old island, it bears a historical character that makes it one of the most visited places by local and foreign visitors. The island is distinguished by the possibility of traveling around it using bicycles, motorcycles and carriages, due to the prohibition of entry to cars and motor vehicles, except for official vehicles.
The Princes' Islands Museum, which is the first open contemporary museum in Istanbul, displays hundreds of documents and exhibits about the history of the islands from their inception to the present day, in addition to 20 thousand documents, 6 thousand photographs, hundreds of documentaries, and a number of video and text recordings that tell visitors the story of the island. Which was an exile for princes and became an island for princesses.
