Çanakkale

Canakkale

Canakkale (Dardanelles), in the Canakkale province of Turkey is an important town and seaport of the country and is a significant center of tourism. Canakkale province is the second one in Turkey (the foremost being Istanbul), which has territory in both the countries of Asia (Biga Peninsula) and Europe (Gelibolu or Gallipoli peninsula). It lies on the southern coast of Dardanelles Strait (or Hellespont) that connects the Aegean and Marmara Seas.

During your stay in Canakkale you can make it the base and can explore the two most important places of world history – Troy and Gallipoli. Originally, Canakkale was an Ottoman fortress named Kale-i-Sultanie. Later, it excelled in pottery and thus earned the current name Canakkale – “canak” meaning pot and “kale” meaning fortress. If you are planning to visit Canakkale then it`s better to avoid Anzac Day of April 25th (the day of paying tribute to the soldiers of World War I) because most of the city hotels remain crowded at that time.

History of Çanakkale dates back to a period, as early as 5,000 years. It’s believed that the earliest inhabitants settled in the Kumkale area and the Troy was set up between 3500–3000 B.C. The mythological war of Troy, which Homer immortalized in his Iliad, also believed that happened by then. The Aeolians settled in the region in the 8th century B.C. and they were followed by the Lydians in the 7th century B.C. and the Persians in the 6th century B.C. When Alexander the Great defeated the Persians, the Macedoians got in charge of the region but later in the 2nd century B.C., Pergamon Kingdom conquered Aeolis. In the 2nd century A.D., Goths from Thrace attacked Troy because it was an important port. The Byzantine name for Çanakkale was “Dardanellia” which turned into “Dardanelles” in English. In the 14th century, the Ottomans started to control Gallipoli. During the First World War, the battle of Canakkale (Gallipoli War, 1915) took place when the Turkish soldiers tried to drive out the Allied Forces from the region. Turkish forces under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, battled successfully and that’s how Canakkale earned its name as “Canakkale: un-passable”. Unfortunately 500,000 soldiers died to achieve this success and in their memory, this peninsula has been made a national park of remembrance.

Places to Visit;

Canakkale is gifted with innumerable tourist attractions both in and around the city.

Archaeological Museum (Arkeoloji Müzesi), İzmir Caddesi (on the highway to Izmir, about 30 min away from the ferry harbour on foot. Minibuses are also available). Artifacts excavated from archaeological sites in the countryside surrounding Çanakkale, mostly amphorae and pottery, is among the exhibited in this museum.
☎ +90 286 217-65-65 (fax: +90 286 217-11-05),
Visit’s day: Tu-Su 8:30AM-12:30PM 1:30PM-5:30PM.

Korfmann Library,Fevzipaşa Mahallesi, Tifli Sokak 16, ☎ +90 286 213-72-12 ([email protected], fax: +90 286 213-58-56)

Naval Museum (Deniz Müzesi), Fevzipaşa Mahallesi, Cimenlik Sokak (on the waterfront, just west of ferry harbour), The museum positioned around (and including) the Cimenlik Castle (Çimenlik Kalesi, also known as Kale-i Sultaniye) which dates back to 1461. A replica of a minelayer named Nusret that was employed in the naval battle of Dardanelles and photos taken during the period is among the exhibition of the museum.
☎ +90 286 213-17-30 (fax: +90 286 212-77-30),
Visit’s day: Tu-W F-Su 9AM-noon 1PM-5PM.

Canakkale is beautiful in all seasons. It can boast of lush greenery, wide beaches, nostalgic ruins as well as mouthwatering Turkish cuisine. Talking about the historical attractions of the region, Troy and Assos come first. 30 km away from Canakkale stands the ruins of the legendary city of Troy or Truva whose origin dates back to 3000 B.C. This is the site of the Trojan war of Iliad. The excavation has shown 9 separate periods of settlement including the remains of a temple, a theatre, city walls and house foundations. Assos, another prime place of history, was the site of the “School of Logic and Reasoning” founded by Aristotle in the 7th century.

Trojan Horse — the one that is used in the movie Troy, donated to the city. Now located two minutes’ walk east of ferry harbour, on the waterfront. In the site of Assos, a small village called Behramkale has materialized that faces the Gulf of Edremit. The famous temple of Athena (6th century B.C.) is located here. The magnificent view of the Edremit Gulf from the top of the Acropolis is also worth seeing.

Historical myths are also associated with aydos, which lies on Canakkale`s European portion (now known as Eceabat). As the saying goes, this is place where Leander swam over to visit his mistress Hero. This is also the spot where Xerxes built his famous bridge of boats (480 B.C.). Some other sites of historical attraction include the archaeological museum, the remains of the mine clearing ship Nusret (in the Naval museum), the village of Seddulbahir, the remnants of the ancient cities of Sestos and Gargara and the harbor of Alexandria-Troas (3rd century B.C.) through which St. Paul passed twice. Moving to more recent past, you can go to Gelibolu Peninsula Historical National park that was built to honor the martyrs of the Gallipoli wars. This park contains several memorials, monuments and cemeteries, which are nestled in the beautiful and serene surrounding of Green hills, Tuz Golu (salt lake), Ariburnu Cliffs and Sandy beaches.

The Kilitbahir and the Cimenlik Fortresses built by Sultan Mehmet II (1451) on opposite shores are worth visiting, too. The latter fortress has been converted to a military museum.

Anzac cove located in the Gallipoli peninsula is the place where the Australian and New Zealand soldiers started their first attempt to invade this peninsula. There are several war memorials of foreign soldiers and also the Ataturk Memorial. “Kanlisirit” memorial and Lone pie gravesite near Anzac cove are also worth the trip.

If you want to explore the natural beauty of the region, come to Bozcaada Island. It houses a splendid Venetian castle, glistening white houses and restaurants and extensive vineyards. Another beautiful island is that of Gökceada, the largest of the Turkish Islands. It is encircled by pristine bays and is dotted with pine-olive covered green hills. There are sacred Monasteries and springs here. For those interested in beach life, the sandy beaches at Ayazma, Poyraz and Igdelik are best options.