Quarantine Island

Karantina Adası is an island located off the coast of Urla district in İzmir, with a historical continuity as part of the ancient Klazomenai settlement. The island possesses a multi-layered cultural landscape marked by archaeological remains from antiquity and 19th-century quarantine buildings. Today it is managed by institutions and protection units under the Ministry of Health.

^{Karantina Adası (}Anadolu Ajansı⁾

Karantina Adası has been part of settlement and production activities since antiquity, assuming different functions in various periods. Architectural remains from the Hellenistic and Roman periods indicate that the island was inhabited during these eras. From the second half of the 18th century onward, the island began to be used for quarantine purposes in response to epidemics, and this function continued in subsequent periods through the construction of health facilities.

The island contains various structures dating to the Hellenistic and Roman periods. References to a theater in ancient sources led to concentrated excavations in the northern section. During the 2011–2013 excavations, the skeletal plan of a Hellenistic theater, an open-air sacred area, and numerous terracotta figurines were uncovered. The figurines include depictions of men and women, mythological figures, theatrical masks, animal forms, and miniature altars.^【1】

Excavation periods:

• 1921–1922: Foundations of Roman-period structures and mosaic-floored spaces
• 1987–1990: Peristyle houses and water systems from the Hellenistic period
• 2011–2013: Hellenistic theater structure and open-air sacred area

Additionally, foundations of structures believed to have been temples, sacred areas assessed as holy springs, remains of Roman villas, and traces of ceramic kilns have been identified on the island.^【2】

^{Urla Tahaffuzhanesi (}Anadolu Ajansı⁾

In the 19th century, increasing maritime trade raised the risk of infectious diseases, prompting the Ottoman State to establish a quarantine system to monitor health boundaries. The Klazomenai-Urla quarantine facility, constructed between 1866 and 1869 in İzmir, served to isolate passengers disembarked from infected ships, treat patients, and disinfect goods.

The quarantine facilities continued to be used for health services during the Republic of Türkiye period. As quarantine practices lost global significance, the island was repurposed in the 1950s as the Institute of Sea and Sun, in the 1960s as the Hospital for Bone and Joint Diseases, and after 1986 as Urla State Hospital. It is also noted that recreational facilities and some educational units under the Ministry of Health were located on the island.^【3】

The structures built for quarantine purposes on the island are situated on a topography formed by the convergence of two elevations. Building groups are divided into different zones according to their functions. Today, 20 registered structures on the island are under protection. These buildings served quarantine, treatment, and disinfection functions. French architectural influence and European material choices are evident in their design.^【4】

^{Urla Tahaffuzhanesi Dush Alanı (}Anadolu Ajansı⁾

The island has been known by different names in various periods. In antiquity it was called “Marathousa,” and during the Ottoman period it was known as “Yolluca.” From 1869 onward, it has been referred to as “Karantina Adası.”