Sedef Island
It is the smallest island of the Islands in Istanbul that is open to settlement.
It is called Sedefadası because the vegetation on it resembles mother-of-pearl when viewed from a distance. In the past, the name Tavşanadası was also used because there were plenty of rabbits. Its old name is Terebinthos. Uninhabited Tavşan (Balıkçı) Island and Büyükada can be seen from the back of the island.
Sedefadası, like other Istanbul islands, was used as a place of exile during the Byzantine period. One of the most important exiles of the island was Patriarch Ignatios, who was sent to the island in 857 AD. Ignatios was re-elected as patriarch in 867, after living on the island for 10 years and being subjected to various tortures.
The island came into the possession of Tophane Müşir Fethi Ahmet Pasha in 1850, and the pasha planted olive trees and grew vegetables on the island. After the death of the Pasha, the island was left neglected, and all the trees on the island were cut down during World War I. Battleship Yavuz, which was captured by the Allies during the occupation of Istanbul, was anchored here for a long time.
The grandchildren of Fethi Ahmet Pasha tried to make the island a settlement where distinguished people lived, and for this purpose they established a housing cooperative, planted thousands of trees and built villas. The architect who built the cooperatives is Kadri Erdoğan, the architect of the Tarabya Hotel.
