Marmara Island

Can an island give its name to the sea before it? Few islands have won this honor; but Marmara Island has for centuries lent its name to an entire sea… For Marmara comes from the ancient Greek word for marble, and the heart of this island has been full of marble since antiquity. So the name of our sea is really the name of a stone; even beneath the waves lies the memory of a quarry. A sea taking its name from a stone is, truly, a refinement granted to very few places.