Çanakkale Itinerary: Troy, Assos, and the Kazdağı Mountains Beyond Mass Tourism
Located in Turkey, Çanakkale boasts a rich cultural heritage spanning over 5,000 years. The ancient city of Troy, situated on Hisarlık hill, was discovered by Heinrich Schliemann in the late 1800s and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1998. Ongoing excavations have uncovered important artifacts, such as a seal in the Luwian language and Hittite inscriptions. Assos, nearby, is home to Aristotle's school, the Temple of Athena, and the scenic Kadırga and Sivrice bays. The Gallipoli peninsula, famous for its World War I battles, features an underwater historical park with 14 dive sites. Kazdağı National Park is known for its ancient olive trees and the Altar of Zeus. The coastal journey concludes at Antandros, including Gökçeada, Bozcaada, Ayvalık, and Cunda. This article is authored by Ludovica Palmieri.
Key facts
- The province of Çanakkale lies on the northern Aegean shores of Turkey, near the Dardanelles strait, and has over 5,000 years of history.
- Troy stood on the Hisarlık hill; its archaeological site is still being excavated and is identified with the level Troy VIIa, destroyed by fire in the 13th century BC.
- Heinrich Schliemann located Troy in the late 19th century, guided by Homeric geography and earlier excavations by Frank Calvert.
- Troy was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1998.
- The Troy Museum near the site displays artifacts unearthed locally and throughout the Troad.
- Assos is where Aristotle founded his school; nearby are the Temple of Athena and the village of Behramkale.
- The Gallipoli Historical Underwater Park offers 14 dive sites, including the wrecks Lundy and HMS Majestic.
- Gökçeada is Turkey's largest island and the only one in the world in the Cittaslow network; Bozcaada hosts a harvest festival and the Bozcaada Jazz Festival.
Entities
Artists
- Homer
- Christopher Nolan
- Heinrich Schliemann
- Frank Calvert
- Aristotle
- Virgil
- Paris
- Zeus
- Aeneas
- Ludovica Palmieri
Institutions
- UNESCO
- Troy Museum
- Cittaslow
- Artribune
- Go Türkiye
Locations
- Çanakkale
- Turkey
- Troy
- Hisarlık
- Aegean Sea
- Dardanelles
- Istanbul
- Troad
- Assos
- Kadırga
- Sivrice
- Behramkale
- Gallipoli
- Kazdağı National Park
- Mount Ida
- Kaz Dağları
- Gulf of Edremit
- Adatepe
- Gökçeada
- Bozcaada
- Tenedo
- Ayvalık
- Cunda
- Sarımsaklı
- Altınova
- Antandros
- Anatolia
- Rome
- Italy
- Smyrna
- Ezine
- Alexandria Troas
- Saros