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ALL ABOUT THE SEA
Meet the Marmara Sea
Small in size but immense in importance, the Sea of Marmara lies at the heart of Türkiye.
Connecting the Black Sea to the Aegean through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles, it forms a vital passage between seas, continents, ecosystems, and communities. Its waters support an extraordinary range of marine life while sustaining fisheries, coastal livelihoods, transportation, and the daily lives of millions of people.
More than a Place
The Marmara Sea is a living landscape shaped by islands, cities, fishing villages, currents, and generations of people who have depended on it.
Today, this unique sea is under increasing pressure from pollution, climate change, overfishing, urban development, and recurring mucilage events. Understanding the Marmara, and the changes taking place within it, is the first step toward protecting its future.
THROUGH THE YEARS
A Sea Shaped by History
For thousands of years, the Sea of Marmara has been a meeting place between lands, cultures, and civilizations.
Known in antiquity as the Propontis, its waters formed an important passage for communities travelling between the Aegean and Black Seas. Settlements grew along its shores and islands, supported by fishing, agriculture, maritime trade, and the movement of people and goods.
The sea later stood at the heart of both the Byzantine and Ottoman worlds. Constantinople, and later Istanbul, rose beside the Bosphorus at its northeastern edge, while ports and coastal communities throughout the Marmara region became closely connected to the political, economic, and cultural life of surrounding empires.
FOLLOWING THE MARBLE
Propontis to Marmara
Its modern name comes from Marmara Island, long known for its rich marble deposits. Stone quarried there has travelled far beyond the island, becoming part of buildings, monuments, and cities across the region.
Across every era, the Marmara has remained more than a route between two larger seas. It has been a source of food and livelihood, a corridor for migration and exchange, and a shared home whose history continues to shape the communities living around it today.
Map Source: Bibliothèque nationale de France