The Islands of Çanakkale

Bozcaada

Known as Tenedos in ancient times, this island can be reached by car ferries that leave the Geyikli Yükyeri wharf to the south of Çanakkale, with the ferry crossing takes approximately half an hour. Ferry departure and arrival schedules change depending on the summer and winter seasons.
Heredotos writes that the earliest inhabitants of the island were the Pelasg people. It is thought they arrived on the island in 2000 BC. In 334 BC, Alexander the Great took control of the Aegean islands. When the Roman Empire was divided the Aegean islands remained with the Byzantine Empire. The islands are considered to be strategically important in present times. In the ancient era the islands held far more importance. Because of this Bozcaada changed hands frequently. It came under the sovereignty of many civilisations. The Turks took control of the island in years 1455-1456. Captured from the Venetians, it was the first island to be conquered by the Turks.

The mythological history of the island
King Kyknos, one of the children of Poseidon the god of the seas, had a son called Thenes. When Thenes's mother died the king remarried. However, the step mother slandered Thenes and the king, believing his new wife's tales, had his son put in a chest and thrown into the sea. The chest went past the straits of Çanakkale and hit the shores of the island called Leukophrys. Thenes got out of the chest safe and sound and started living on this island. He changed the name of the island to Thenedos meaning the island of Thenes.

The castle of Bozcaada
When approaching the island on the ferry the first landmark that comes into view is the castle. The castle, right along side the wharf, looks surprisingly newly built. However, its construction dates back as far as the Phoenicians. This castle was repaired and additions made to it by the Venetians and the Genovese. When the Venetians were leaving the island tried to destroy the castle. Restored by Fatih Sultan Mehmet, the castle was later repaired in 1703-1706, and 1714-1726. The castle underwent large scale repair and renovation work in 1815. The most recent restoration of the castle was carried out in 1965-1970. There used to be a 250 metre long moat around it and a suspension bridge. Now there is a fixed bridge and, while the ditch is still there, there is no water in it.
To enter the castle one has to pay a small admission charge. In the inner castle there is a small museum. When considering that the castle is built on a headland with sea on all three sides and the link to the land surrounded by a ditch the castle could easily become an island thus its very protective positioning.
Those visiting the island in winter months if discovering the gates are shut can go to the office of the district governor and have them opened. The notice on the entrance provides brief information about the castle in Turkish, English and German.
Around the wharf are the most lively parts of the island as all the town's restaurants, cafes and shops are concentrated in this area.
The weekly bazaar, held on Wednesdays, is also located here

Travel around the island
If not counting the newly built vineyard houses Bozcaada is a settlement that has been kept well intact in and around the town. It is best to walk through the settlement around the wharf.
According to the inscription on the Kemisis Teodoku Church (Meryem Ana Kilisesi) belonging to the orthodox community this church was built during the years 1867-1869. According to some sources the construction of this three nave church goes back as far as the Venetians. Among some sections of this structure there are five columns with Corinthian heads. The naves on two sides of the structure are surrounded by transverse arches in the form of six transverse vaults; the middle nave is a round vault. At the end of the middle vault there is a round abscissa, in front of the abscissa in between the double columns there are small domes, next to the domes a transverse vault is located. The rear middle vault has a four story bell tower, next to the bell tower there are annex rooms. The bell tower could not withstand the times as its stones tend to fall. Because of this it is in a safer metal casing for protection.

The Aya Paraskevi sacred water spring consists of a small chapel situated among eight plane trees, two small structures and a fountain with double outlets. The grape harvest festivities held on 26-27 July are staged here as an annual traditional event. In the old days the Aya Paraskevi festivities served the purpose for the young girls of the region to look for the man of their dreams for marriage. Of course the young of these days achieve this objective through far easier means. As there are only a handful of Greeks on the island everyone knows each other nowadays.
The Yalı and Alaybey mosques. The Yalı Mosque was built at the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century. Since it does not have an inscription the exact date is unknown. Its minaret had to be rebuilt in 1965 after it collapsed. It is thought that the Alaybey Mosque was built around year 1700.
The Köprülü Hamam (Turkish Bath) has two baths (male and female sections), however it has not been in use for a long time. The Alaybey Hamam is either a 17th or 18th century masterpiece. It is also not currently in use. The Namazgah (open air prayer place) is currently being used as a car park facility. Its fountain is in good condition. The island also has the remains of an old castle. Fragments of this castle, called Eski Kale, can be seen on the headland to the north east. Unfortunately, there is no information on it.
Bozcaada has seven hills with the 191 metre Göztepe being the highest and the Fakı Tepe at 57 metres the lowest. Standing on Göztepe one can see the whole island, the lands where the Trojan War took place, the straits of Çanakkale and its shores, further away the mythological Mt Ida (Kaz Dağları), Gökçeada and, when weather permits, the islands of Limnos and Lesbos belonging to Greece. It is worth the climb just for this picturesque view.

Inland Bozcaada
If going to Bozcaada by car, there are very surprising scenes awaiting when venturing inland on the island. While passing through the narrow roads among vineyards it is possible to imagine the life of the past when seeing the old stone houses once inhabited by the Greeks of the island. For example, the remains of a very large stone house hidden among giant pine trees make us imagine a rich lifestyle here different from that of the other old houses in other parts of the island. Just opposite on the other side of the road you can see the construction of a cistern, where horses turning around a small water well and drawing out water from its source.

Coast and beaches

In every part of Bozcaada there are numerous beaches. This is an advantage that the island really enjoys. Wherever the wind blows from people go to the beach that are sheltered from the breezes and where the sea is calmer. The biggest natural beach is Ayazma and right next to it are the Sulubahçe, Habbele, Mermer Burnu (Headland) and Akvaryum cove beaches for when the Poyraz wind blows from the north while the Tuzburnu, Çayır and Ova coastlines are preferred when the Lodos blows from the south. It is rare but if there is no wind all these beaches are in use.
Around the island there are many islets close enough that can be reached by good swimmers. The interestingly named islets of Tavşan, Kaşık, Yılan and Sıçancık are all easily reachable by strong swimmers. The swim to these islets is most enjoyable for those who are confident in their ability. The land mass of Bozcaada along with all the islets amounts to 42 square kilometres. There are eleven headlands and eleven coves along the 14 miles of the island's coastline.
The Ayazma beach is the most crowded of all beaches on the island. Around this beach there are seafood restaurants and tea houses. Some of these provide umbrella and beach chair services on the beach. The Habbele beach is the quietest and the most beautiful. On Habbele beach you can find food and beverage services and beach amenity supplies available.
The water is crystal clear and, with every tone of blue just like an aquarium, the aptly named Akvaryum cove attracts a lot of interest among visitors to the island. There is a food and beverage outlet at this cove

Underwater activities
Bozcaada is one of the most significant underwater diving spots in the Aegean Sea. The cleanliness of the sea increases visibility to as much as 50 to 60 metres. Permission from authorities is needed for underwater scuba diving and night diving. Even when diving in shallow depths it is possible to see many plant and fish varieties, an advantage for those just starting the sport of underwater diving. No matter from which direction the wind blows from it is possible to find a nice quiet diving point. There is a diving school for training and diving tours.
Sulu Bahçe is a very popular spot for diving enthusiasts. Its reef is one kilometre in length and 20 metres deep and is very interesting. When diving at night it is advisable to take a lantern to see the movements of the snails and underwater sponge among the rocks.
Another diving centre is Bakla Taşlar. In actual fact this is an extension of the Sulu Bahçe reef. Its deepest spot is 16 metres and is two kilometres long.
Mermer Burnu is a diving spot preferred on windy days. Those lucky divers may even be able to see the Mediterranean sea lions (monacus monacus) here.
Kalın Burun, Mauna Adası, İkinci Sışlık, and Mavria (Tavşan) Adası are other diving points on the island

The old lighthouse and modern windmills
On the far end of the island there is the Batı Burnu (Western Headland). Here there is a lighthouse that has been in use for many years. Now this lighthouse is no longer alone as modern windmills that are in fact the massive turbines of the wind energy power station have been turning here since 2000.
The power station, belonging to a privately run concern, consists of 17 turbines and produce 30 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually. This amount of energy means 30 times the annual electricity requirement for the island. It is clearly obvious why wind energy is referred to as the clean environmentally friendly energy as there is no pollution, waste or even noise when seeing this operation from a close viewpoint. To top it all off this energy production method does not take up too much space either. This is a real pleasant sight to see.

Fishing
Fishing holds an important place in the economy of Bozcaada. Just about every variety of seafood is available. In August abundant supplies of sardines arrive, September is when the octopus swarm in. There are sea bass, sea bream, red sea bream, gilt-head bream, scorpion fish, mackerel, mullet, bluefish, sargo, red gurnard, and bonito. A lot of fish is caught at Bozcaada and 50 families owe their livelihood to fishing. Lobster and calamari are typical dishes that adorn dinner tables. At many seafood restaurants around the harbour there is always fresh fish available according to the season. And of course along with all this seafood large amounts of local production wines are consumed as well

Accommodation
The historical hotels and small cute pensions of the island are located in the town centre. Some have been built as hotels and some were converted from houses or mansions. Among the vineyards on the island there is also a hotel-wine house. There are some new hotels and small holiday villages located between the centre, Poyraz Limanı and Tuzburnu beach.

Activities
Bozcaada Festival is being organised since three years. The Festival program includes many activities which reflects the multi-culture character of the island. The people who immigrated to Greece from the island are also attending the activities during the Festival.
The old Greek traditions are being still enjoyed in particular days.

Bozcaada Castle Museum

Bozcaada Castle houses two small museums.

At the entrance to the inner castle on the right there are archaeological finds on display in a cellar like location. Directly opposite the entrance to the inner courtyard under the tower there is a room with ethnographic masterpieces on display. These small museums were formed from items donated by local citizens.

There is an entrance fee for the castle. It could be closed on winter months.