Island bearing traces of 1960 coup open to visitors

ISTANBUL

Following a comprehensive transformation works and construction of new facilities, Democracy and Freedom Island, one of the Princes’ Islands located in the Marmara Sea off Istanbul, open its doors for public visitors.

Museums, historical and registered buildings, restaurants, library and open-air works of art can be visited by the public, according to the statement made by the directorate that operates the island.

Access to the island, which will be open to guests every day of the week except Mondays, will be carried out from the Istanbul Sea Bus (İDO) pier in Kadıköy, the square in the eponymous district on the city’s Asian side.

The ticket price, including both sea transportation and museum entrance, will be 50 Turkish Liras ($5.85) for adults, 25 Turkish Liras ($2,93) for students under the age of 25, and senior people over the age of 65.

Also known as Yassıada, the island symbolizes one of the controversial eras in the history of the Republic, as it is notorious for the trials of political brass of the once-ruling Democrat Party after the 1960 military coup.

The island was renamed in 2013 as part of a rebranding effort to attract more cultural and historical tourism.

Five years of work on the island have transformed the place into the home of a massive complex that includes a 125-room hotel, a 600-seat conference hall, a mosque, a museum and exhibition halls, as well as cafes and restaurants.

It was inaugurated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2020, on the 60th anniversary of the coup.