Giresun Island

Giresun Adası lies about a kilometre off the city and is the only island of any size on Turkey's eastern Black Sea coast, which alone makes it notable on a coast that is otherwise a straight line. It carries a Roman wall circuit, the ruins of a monastery and chapel, cisterns, and a large standing stone called Hamza Taşı near the middle, around which a fertility custom persists - people circle it three times and throw pebbles into the sea. Classical writers associated the island with the Amazons and with a temple of Ares, and the Argonaut legend has the crew stopping here; the visible remains include a roofless temple of the Classical or Hellenistic era, Roman walls of the first century AD and a Byzantine monastery. The island is a protected area for its vegetation and seabirds, and landing numbers are limited. Boats run from Giresun harbour in the warmer months and stop entirely when the sea is rough, which on this coast is often. In May the Aksu festival includes a boat procession round it.

Highlights

• The walls and temple - the Roman circuit, the roofless temple and the monastery ruins.
• Hamza Taşı - the standing stone and the custom around it.
• The seabird colonies - the protected vegetation and nesting.
• The crossing - the short boat run from the harbour.

When to go

May to September, when boats run. The Aksu festival in May includes a procession to the island. Crossings are cancelled whenever the sea is up.

Things to know

Boats are seasonal and weather-dependent - plans fail here regularly. Landing is limited to protect the site. The Amazon and Argonaut associations are legend, not archaeology. Facilities are none.

Nearby

Giresun town and its castle park are on the mainland; Ordu is west and Trabzon east.

Key facts