Satellite photo of the Prince Islands (Kınalıada is the first one at top left)
Kınalıada (Armenian: Գնալը կղզի; Greek: Πρώτη, Proti 'first') is an island in the Sea of Marmara; it is the closest of the Prince Islands to Istanbul, Turkey, lying about 12 kilometres (7 mi) to the south. Administratively, it is a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul.
Kınalıada means "Henna Island" in Turkish, as the land has a reddish colour from the iron and copper that has been mined here. This is one of the least forested of the Prince Islands.
Proti was the island most used as a place of exile under the Byzantine Empire. The most notable exile was emperor Romanos IV Diogenes, after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, who remained in the Monastery of the Transfiguration on Hristo Peak of the island. During the summer, approximately 90% of the population on the island was Armenian.[1][2]
The islands are reachable by ferry services that depart from Kabataş on the European side. The voyage takes about 25 minutes by fast ferry (deniz otobus) and 40 minutes by regular ferry (vapur).
