The Princes Islands or Adalar consist of nine small islands in The Marmara Sea, some of which inhabited since Byzantine times mostly by minorities. Before the Ottoman conquest the islands had a religious character with many Christian monasteries.
The name of Princes islands derives from the habit of Ottoman Sultans to exile embarrassing princes here. Since the 19th c the larger islands received a growing influx of population both Muslim and non-Muslim that now reaches 15,000 permanent residents.
We leave Eminonu on a municipally ferry boat called in Turkish, Adalar Vapuru. The ferry has stops at the four larger inhabited islands: Buyukada, Heybeliada, Burgazada, Kinaliada.