Çanakkale
After two hours of driving from Bursa, we find ourselves surrounded by huge swathes of golden-bright fields of wheat. We stop the car and get out to take a few pictures. I take a moment to close my eyes and listen to the sounds of the wheat crops swaying in the wind. I can’t help but think about the stories the wind is carrying. Stories of events that happened across millennia. Stories of invasion, conquest, and legend. The songs of blood and glory can still be heard in this ancient land. Welcome to Çanakkale.
One of my most memorable experiences of the Turkey trip was when we visited Çanakkale. This is the land that bared witness to some of the most important events in human history. Being a student of history, I just had to come here.
The province of Çanakkale, formerly known as Dardanellia, is located in northwest Turkey in the Marmara region, named after the Sea of Marmara. It is separated from Europe by the Dardanelles, also known as the Hellespont, a narrow strait that holds a ton of historical significance (I’ll get to that later). The oldest settlement in the region, Kumtepe, was founded in approx. 4800 BC. It is from Kumtepe, that the legendary city of Troy was supposedly built (approx. 3500 BC). Now, most of us have at least heard of Troy. It’s the city where, according to Homer’s Iliad, the Greeks fought a 10-year war against the Trojans with the aim of rescuing Helen and destroying Troy as punishment. It’s the place where gods fought among heroes like the swift-footed Achilles and the bright-helmeted Hector along with thousands of brave warriors. Believe it or not, you can actually visit Troy. It’s about 20 miles (28 min) from the city of Çanakkale.
Here’s the catch though. It’s a much better experience if you’re a classics or history enthusiast like me, and especially if you’ve actually read the Iliad. If you’re none of that, Troy might seem a little underwhelming to you. I know it because it was little underwhelming to me as well. Unfortunately, I still had the 2004 movie Troy in my head which, by the way, ladies if you want to see chiselled Brad Pitt in sick armour I strongly suggest you watch it. I expected at least a lot more ruins and whatnot. What we have is essentially the citadel of the city, which is not much. Also, over the years, the sea receded from Troy, meaning you can’t actually see where the Greeks landed. It also makes the view from the city less dramatic. The reason why we know that this is indeed Troy is due to the location, age of the ruins (which are actually in layers), and the fact that it was indeed a major city, all point to the existence of Troy. If you’re interested in learning more about Troy, check out the Turkey and More page. Overall though, I really enjoyed going on a classics pilgrimage to Troy and seeing the place I have learned about since I was a kid and always dreamed of visiting.
The area of Çanakkale is famous as the first place Alexander the Great and his army went to on his conquest of the Persian empire. He crossed the Hellespont and famously threw a spear at the Asian beach, accepting Asia as a gift from the gods. Very Alexander of him to do. He also visited Troy as he was obsessed with the Iliad as a kid and wanted to visit the supposed tomb of Achilles, his self-proclaimed ancestor. From here, he would defeat a Persian army at the Battle of the Granicus, and then continue to blaze through Asia Minor, today’s Turkey, on his way to achieve his and his father’s dream of conquering the Persian empire.
More recently, Çanakkale, or more accurately the Gallipoli Peninsula, was the site of one of the bloodiest operations of the First World War - the Gallipoli Campaign. In 1915, the Allies needed a way to knock the Ottomans out of the war and better supply the Russians. They came up with a plan that would have British and ANZAC (Australian + New Zealand) forces land at Gallipoli, defeat the Turks, and then move on Constantinople (today’s Istanbul). Once they took the capital, the Ottomans would surrender and the Allies could then supply the Russians via the Black Sea. The operation ended up being a failure for a number of reasons but essentially the Allies underestimated the willingness of the Turks to fight, who themselves were led by a clever Atatürk, the future founder of Turkey. The Allies suffered 300,000 casualties (56,707 dead) and the Ottomans 255,268 (56,643 dead). The First World War is known for operations that wasted the precious lives of men, and Gallipoli is up there in the list.
Çanakkale is a land where you just have to visit regardless of if you love history or not. Not only is the scenery beautiful with fields upon fields of bright-coloured wheat on one side and amazing views of the Aegean on the other, but it’s filled to the brim with amazing and humbling stories of conquest, legend, and war. If you’re going to Turkey, add Çanakkale to the itinerary.
Things to do -
Go to the Troy Museum (a modern museum with incredible stuff on Troy)
Go to Çanakkale Martyr’s Memorial (memorial for the Turks who served in Gallipoli. It also has amazing views of the Aegean).
Visit Troy (28 min. car ride from the city of Çanakkale. They also have a model of the Trojan horse but it’s not as good as the one in Çanakkale).
Visit Çanakkale (pretty cool city. Has the aforementioned model of the Trojan horse which was used in the 2008 movie Troy).
Visit Imbros/Gökçeada (didn’t get the chance to visit, but it is an island off of Çanakkale. Only visit if you really have a lot of time).
Visit the war cemeteries and memorials (not hard to find. Look them up on Google. Most of them are in the Gallipoli Peninsula, which is connected to Çanakkale with a bridge).
Visit Assos - Ancient Greek temple in southern Çanakkale, about 1 hour and 40 min drive from the city. Has amazing views of the Aegean).
*Bonus* - Visit Atatürkün Gözetleme Yeri (Atatürk memorial with probably the best view of the sunset with the Aegean).
