Kaşık Adası: The 'Spoon Island' of Istanbul

Among the picturesque sprawl of Istanbul’s Princes’ Islands, a curious anomaly floats in the Marmara Sea: Kaşık Adası. Known as ‘Spoon Island’ for its slender, curved shape, this smallest isle of the archipelago carries a mysterious story.

This tiny island measures just 800 meters long and 280 meters wide. It lies quietly between Burgazada to the west and Heybeliada to the east.

With only a slight rise above sea level and no freshwater springs or streams, it has remained uninhabited throughout history.

An elevated view from Burgaz Island shows a ferryboat passing a small town with red-tiled roofs. Across the Marmara Sea lies the wooded Spoon Island (Kaşık Adası), with a dock and a few buildings visible. — From the hills of Burgaz Island, a view across the Sea of Marmara reveals the uninhabited Spoon Island.

Unlike its larger neighbors, Kaşık Adası never hosted monasteries, military outposts, or exile settlements. Consequently, it is scarcely mentioned in Byzantine or Ottoman records, remaining a quiet footnote in the islands’ history.

The island’s history remains obscure, but one intriguing detail stands out: Sultan Abdülhamid II once gifted it to an Armenian individual. Sale records from the 1930s reveal this transaction through the heirs of Dr. Hızıryan, though little else is known about him.

İbrahim Çallı, the renowned Turkish painter, sought to purchase Kaşık Adası in 1939, with the intention of creating a small artists’ retreat there. Despite his enthusiasm – and even applying with the municipality’s assistance – another buyer ultimately outbid him.

In the 1940s, a Jewish family named Danon bought the island. A decade later, it passed into the hands of Akkök Holding, the prominent textile magnates known for owning Istanbul’s Akmerkez in Etiler.

A close-up view from the water shows the rugged, rocky coastline of Spoon Island. A line of green trees stands atop the craggy cliffside under a clear blue sky. — The rugged, rocky coastline of Spoon Island

Following a 2021 decision by the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization to reclassify parts of Kaşık Adası from a ‘Natural Protected Area’ to a ‘Sustainable Protection and Controlled Use Area’, the company announced plans for tourism development. However, this move ignited fierce backlash from environmentalists and local officials.

In response, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) filed a lawsuit challenging the reclassification, halting the development project. Legal proceedings are ongoing, and the island’s future zoning status remains uncertain.

Today, Kaşık Adası hosts a simple wooden pier and a handful of small houses. As private property with no ferry service, it remains closed to visitors. Yet if you find yourself boating near Burgazada or Heybeliada, take a detour to admire this tiny, peaceful haven.