Dana Island ( tr, Dana Adası, also called ''Kargıncık Adası'',
Greek Latin ''Pithyussa'') is a small
Mediterranean island of Turkey.
Geography
Dana Adası lies parallel to south coast of Turkey at in the province of
Mersin
Mersin (), also known as İçel, is a large city and a port on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Mersin Province, Mersin (İçel) Province. It is made up of four municipalities and dis ...
. The distance from the shore is . The passage between the main land and the island which is known as Kargıcak strait is a convenient passage for maritime traffic. The shape of the island is roughly rectangular with dimensions . The highest peak is . Dana Adası is quite rocky and covered with
maquis shrubland
220px, Low maquis in Corsica
220px, High ''macchia'' in Sardinia
( , , ) or ( , ; often in Italian; hr, makija; ; ) is a shrubland biome in the Mediterranean region, typically consisting of densely growing evergreen shrubs.
Maquis is char ...
and yellow pine forest.
History
Francis Beaufort
Rear-Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort (; 27 May 1774 – 17 December 1857) was an Irish hydrographer, rear admiral of the Royal Navy, and creator of the Beaufort cipher and the Beaufort scale.
Early life
Francis Beaufort was descended f ...
, who surveyed the south coast of Turkey in 1811–1812, states that the island was called Manavat by the local people, and Provençal Island by sailors. He suggested that this derived from the name of one of the ranks of the
Knights Hospitallers who occupied forts and islands along this coast.
According to recent research, there were many shipyards in Dana Island, probably dating to the
Late Bronze Age (c. 1200 BC). Assistant professor Hakan Öniz says that the island was the largest proven shipyard in the ancient world. There are also some ruins at the southern coast of the main land facing the island. Probably, these two settlements were the control posts dominating the two extremes of the strait. The island was inhabited during the
Roman and early
Byzantine era. There are ruins of a few churches, graves, houses, aqueducts, a Roman bath and a harbour establishment at the north of the island. According to some sources,
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
merchants also used the island as their port during Middle Ages.
[''Pocket Guide of Mersin'', MTSO, Mersin, 2004]
See also
*
Aphrodisias of Cilicia
Aphrodisias ( grc, Ἀφροδισιάς), sometimes called Aphrodisias of Cilicia to distinguish it from the town of the same name in Caria, was a port city of ancient Cilicia whose ruins now lie near Cape Tisan in Mersin Province, Turkey.
Ge ...
References
External links
Dana Island
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dana Adasi
Islands of Turkey
Islands of Mersin Province
History of Mersin Province
Mediterranean islands