Babadıl Islands Explained

Babadıl Islands
Native Name:Babadıl Adaları
Native Name Lang:Turkish
Map:Turkey
Coordinates:36.1167°N 64°W
Location:Mediterranean Sea
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Country:Turkey
Country Admin Divisions Title:İl (province)
Country Admin Divisions:Mersin Province
Country Admin Divisions Title 1:İlçe
Country Admin Divisions 1:Gülnar
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Babadıl Islands (a.k.a. Beşparmak Islands) are two small Mediterranean islands in Turkey. They are named after the former name of the village Sipahili in the mainland facing the islands. According to the British captain Francis Beaufort who was tasked to map the Mediterranean coasts of Turkey in 1811–12, the names of the islands were Papadoulae, in the antiquity.[1] Modern scholarship identifies the island group with Akonesiai, and the northern island with ancient Crambusa or Krambousa (Κράμβουσα).

The islands are about offshore in Gülnar ilçe (district) of Mersin Province at 36.1167°N 64°W.[2] The distance from the coast to Gülnar is about and to Mersin is . They are in the eastern end of a bay and are observable from the Turkish state highway D.400 which runs mostly along the sea side. The north to south dimension of the northern island is and the north to south dimension of the southern island is . Both islands are uninhabited. But there are remains of a castle and some vaulted tombs from the Medieval Age.[3]

References

  1. Sir Francis Beaufort: Karamanya, (tr:Ali Neyzi-Doğan Türker), Akdeniz medeniyetleri Araştırma Enstitüsü, p.209
  2. http://www.haritatr.com/harita/Babadil-Adalari/84835 Map page
  3. Web site: Mersin History page . 2016-12-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220090652/http://mersintarihi.com/10-Ayd%C4%B1nc%C4%B1k-G%C3%BClnar/ . 2016-12-20 . dead .