Sivriada
island off the northwestern coast of Turkey
Sivriada (Greek: Ὀξεία, Oxeia) also known as Hayırsızada, is one of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul.
The island, which has an area of 0.05 km², is officially a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul, Turkey.
History
Sivriada was often used by the Byzantine clerics as a distant place for peaceful worship, and by the Byzantine emperors as a convenient prison to detain prominent people whom they deemed troublesome. The first famous person to be imprisoned in the island by the order of emperor Nikephoros I was Plato of Sakkoudion, the uncle of renowned cleric Theodoros Stoudites, for supporting his nephew in his conflict with the emperor. Other famous people who stayed in the island for religious and political reasons were Gebon, Basil Skleros, Nikephoritzes (the chief minister of Michael VII Doukas), Patriarch John of Antioch and Patriarch Michael II of Constantinople. The graves of those who died on the island during the Byzantine period can still be seen today.
The ruins of a Roman settlement and a 9th-century Byzantine monastery can still be seen on the shore, close to the fishermen's shelter, a small wharf which is often used by yachts. The most important buildings on the island were built in the 9th century AD, including a church, a chapel dedicated to religious martyrs, a monastery on the eastern end (with its walls still seen today) and a cistern in the center of the island (a part of which can still be seen).
In 1911, in an event called "Hayırsızada Dog Massacre", the Governor of Istanbul ordered the stray dogs in the streets to be rounded up and exiled to Sivriada. About 80,000 dogs were killed during the ordeal, mostly due to hunger and thirst on the barren land of the island, and some due to drowning as they tried to escape the horrible conditions.
The public source identifies “Sivriada” as island off the northwestern coast of Turkey. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Sivriada, island and northwestern.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Sivriada”, the useful work is to connect “island off the northwestern coast of Turkey” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 31, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q1972153. Authority coordinates are 40.876, 28.972. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1911.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Sivriada”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Sivriada primary sources, Sivriada archive and Sivriada research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Sivriada”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Sivriada” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.