Sedef Island, a peaceful corner of İstanbul

 While you’re thinking about it, I will describe a “desert island” that you would want to be

stranded on. This island, on which you can often hear the call of seagulls, is not too far away - - one hour from İstanbul’s Bostancı district.

You probably have heard its name, even though you’ve never been there. The name of this island is Sedef, one of the smallest but most beautiful islands of İstanbul. Sedef Island is 1,300 meters in length and 1,100 meters in width. It’s located straight ahead of Büyükada, an island off the Asian coast of İstanbul in the Marmara Sea. Its highest point has an altitude of 55 meters. There are currently 120 houses, one police station and a grocery store on the island and its population fluctuates between 300-400. While most people have their own houses on the island, there are also some who rent summer houses and come seasonally. The island also has an association established by residents of the island to deal with administrative issues as there is no muhtar, or administrative headman. Turkish author Orhan Pamuk, pianists İdil Biret and Ayşegül Sarıca are among the residents of Sedef Island. There are unfortunately no accommodations available to foreigners or local tourists as there are no hotels or lodging houses on the island.

In general, İstanbul’s islands are associated with bicycles and phaetons; however, people who want to visit Sedef Island should understand that these don’t exist there.

Sedef Island preferred because of its beaches

Going to Sedef Island takes approximately one hour. However, if you have no friends or relatives living there, your visit will be limited to certain areas of the island only. Some areas of the island are not open to visitors as they are private property. It is a good idea to go to Sedef Island on weekdays when it’s less crowed. The houses were mostly constructed after 1956; therefore, there are no historic buildings for visitors to see. However, there are lovely villas adorned with beautiful flowers, such as oleander, that attract a lot of attention from visitors. It is not possible to not be jealous of the people living in these beautiful villas. In our conversation with Orhan Ustaömer, who works in the island’s only grocery store, he said that some people who have villas on Sedef Island come to the island at the beginning of June and go back to home at the end of September.

There is also a beach open to the public for the price of TL 20. The beach is run by Habil Gürsoy, who also owns the island’s grocery store. According to Gürsoy, people who can not swim well should be careful because of the deepness of the waters surrounding the island. Gürsoy also noted that people in general prefer Sedef Island as its beaches have clean, clear water.

There are currently two restaurants where you can get a bite to eat. One of them is Port Sedef. Onur Erdemir, the general manager of the restaurant, said the food on their menu mostly consists of Mediterranean cuisine. Port Sedef boasts its own slice of beach that can accommodate 50 people. According to Erdemir, TL 70-100 is all a person needs for a fun day at his facility. If you would like to spend your weekend at Port Sedef, you can make a reservation by calling them at: 0 212 382 48 70.

The other restaurant on the island is Clup Ada Sedef Restaurant, which opened this year. This restaurant offers its customers a seat along the beach, like Port Sedef, and can accommodate 100 people. Muhittin Ülkü, one of the new restaurant’s operators, said they accept customers on weekends by reservation only. If you do have a chance to go to Sedef Island, we recommend that you have tea and relax with your loved ones at one of these facilities while enjoying the exceptional landscape.

While we were visiting Sedef Island, we happened to notice an avenue named after Fethi Ahmet Pasha, who was an Ottoman statesman. Shortly thereafter we did some research and learned that Fethi Ahmet Pasha was the original owner of Sedef Island. The island was given to Fethi Ahmet Pasha in 1850 as a gift from his father-in-law, the Ottoman Sultan, Mahmut II. Fethi Ahmet Pasha had planted numerous olive trees on the island; however, all the olive trees were later cut down during World War I. After Fethi Ahmet Pasha died, the island was bequeathed to a family, who used their property rights to start a cooperative housing project and constructed 70 homes. These houses were later sold; however, it is now prohibited to construct houses on the island.

How to go?

Going to Sedef Island takes nearly one hour. There are boats departing daily from İstanbul’s Bostancı district to İstanbul’s islands such as Heybeliada, Büyükada and Sedef Island. For island residents, there are also vessels departing from İstanbul’s Kartal district, however, foreign and local tourists are not allowed to board them. For those interested, the Sedef Port and Club Ada Sedef restaurants are also planning to organize tours for foreign and local tourists to come to Sedef Island during the summer in the coming days.