Portion of touristic island to be sold by tender

A portion of Bozcaada, one of the country's most significant natural beauties and tourist destinations, is being put up for sale due to disagreements over family inheritance.

A court in the northwestern province of Çanakkale announced on July 7 that 33 immovable properties on a total area of 1 million square meters in Bozcaada will be sold by tender.

The aforementioned area, excluding the surrounding islands and rocks, will be put up for sale on August 24. The tenders will take place entirely online and bidding will end on August 31, 2023.

The properties' sizes range from 333 square meters to 244,167 square meters, which represents an area of approximately the size of 34 football fields.

According to expert reports, the most affordable real estate is expected to be sold at 210,000 liras, while the most valuable one has an estimated price of 50 million liras.

The fact that such a large-scale sale will be realized for the first time in the history of Bozcaada along with the sales being fully online raises concerns among the locals of the island.

Locals claim that there are no doubts new projects including holiday resorts, touristic facilities and residences will be realized in Bozcaada with the finalization of the tenders and the sales process. However, their biggest wish is that these projects will be in accordance with the spirit of the island.

The properties in question belong to the Aral family, one of the wealthiest families in Bozcaada, known for their successful viticulture activities.

It was learned that after the heirs of the family had a dispute over the sharing of properties, the issue was brought to court, and the court decided to resolve the conflict through the sale of the properties.