Prince Islands

Nine horses died and three horses were wounded when a fire broke out in a stable on Büyükada, one of Istanbul's Prince's Islands, on Jan. 1.

Yassıada, a small island located off the coast of Istanbul's Asian side in the Marmara Sea and was officially renamed "Democracy and Freedom Island" in 2013, is undergoing major changes. 

A species of coral colony that face possible danger of extinction in a reef off Sivriada, one of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, has been transferred via a special method to another of the Princes' Islands—known by the names of Tavşan Island or Balıkçı Island or Neandros Island in Greek.

The Holy Theological School on the island of Halki (Heybeliada), one of the Princes' islands in the Sea of Marmara, has remained closed for almost 50 years, yet not a year has passed without it attracting hundreds of visitors and international attention. However, it may soon be eclipsed by a more grandiose religious establishment.

Some 222 horses, which have been illegally brought to Istanbul from various cities in Turkey to be used as carriage horses on the Princes' Islands, will be sent back to their original cities.

The Turkish authorities have announced that electric cars would soon replace the horse-drawn carriages on Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands amid public outrage over the cruel treatment the animals have endured for decades. Click through for the story in photos by Hürriyet reporter Murat Şaka...

Anger has been sparked once again over the poor condition of horses used to pull carriages on Istanbul's Büyükada, the largest of the Princes' Islands, after footage emerged of a horse that had collapsed and fallen to the ground in exhaustion.

The Greek Orphanage on Istanbul’s Büyükada, largest of the Princes’ Islands, has been included in the “Seven Most Endangered” programme for 2018 by Europa Nova, the leading heritage organization in Europe, and the European Investment Bank Institute.

The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB) run City Lines has announced a suspension of ferry services between the Beşiktaş district on Istanbul’s European side and the Princes’ Islands (“Adalar” in Turkish) from Jan. 1 until June 3 later this year.

A plan that would pave the way for far-flung construction on Istanbul's Princes Islands "Adalar" has been presented to an Istanbul preservation board. If the plan is approved, the population on the islands, recorded as 14,000 in the last census conducted seven years ago, will grow apace to 76,000.