Sedir Island

About

Sedir Island (Sedir Adası), also known as Cleopatra Island, is a small island in the Gulf of Gökova of southeastern Aegean Sea off the coast of Ula, part of Muğla Province of Turkey. It is famous for its beach made from seashells. It is said that this organic sand was brought by ships from the Red Sea especially for Cleopatra. Contemporary research suggests the sands are the result of continual erosion of the sandstone bed on site. Each grain of sand is a perfect sphere, for this reason the beach is heavily protected by the government to prevent any sand being removed. According to legend, Anthony and Cleopatra swam here and the sands were brought by ships from North Africa. It has been said that this type of sand can only be found in Egypt.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.