36°58′26″N 27°27′45″E / 36.97389°N 27.46250°E / 36.97389; 27.46250

The island seen from West

Kara Ada, (literally "Black island" in Turkish), known as Arkos in Greek (Αρκός[1]), is a small Turkish island at the entrance of the harbor of Bodrum in the Aegean Sea.[1] It is a popular tourist destination, particularly for yachting.

History

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The ancient Greeks called it Arkonnesos (Ancient Greek: Ἀρκόνησος).[2] During the Siege of Halicarnassus by Alexander the Great, some of the Persian troops withdrew to the island after they first set fire to the Halicarnassus.[3]

In the Middle Ages the island, which the Greeks know under the name of Arkos,[1] was taken over by the Knights of St. John Hospitaller, who also occupied Bodrum.[4] It was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. In 1919 it was occupied by the Italians together with Bodrum.[4] The 1932 Convention between Italy and Turkey assigned it to Turkey.[5]

References

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Sources

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  • Bertarelli, L.V. (1929). Guida d'Italia, Vol. XVII (in Italian). Milano: Consociazione Turistica Italiana.