Visiting Troy, Gallipoli, and the Dardanelles in Turkey

On a recent trip to Turkey (Türkiye), I had a chance to visit the historically significant Dardanelles Strait, including the site of ancient Troy, Alexandria Troas, which is mentioned in the Bible, and the site of the battle of Gallipoli in WWI.

The Significance of the Dardanelles: A Strategic and Historical Crossroads

The Dardanelles, also known as the Hellespont, is a narrow strait in northwest Türkiye that connects the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. Its strategic location has made it one of the most significant waterways in history, serving as both a gateway and a battleground for civilizations across millennia. Stretching approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) in length and varying between 0.75 to 3.7 miles (1.2 and 6 kilometers) in width, the Dardanelles acts as a natural divide between Europe and Asia. Control of the strait has historically meant control of access to the Black Sea and the broader Mediterranean world.

Mythology and Ancient History

The Dardanelles is steeped in legend and myth. In Greek mythology, Hercules fought a war with Troy years before the Trojan War, which is famously chronicled in Homer’s Iliad. The ancient city of Troy, located near the strait, relied on its proximity for trade and defense.

Historically, the Dardanelles was a key passage for the Persians, Greeks, and Romans. The Persian king Xerxes I famously constructed a bridge of boats across the strait during his invasion of Greece in 480 BCE, while Alexander the Great crossed it in his quest to conquer Asia.

The Ottoman Empire and Modern History

Under the Ottoman Empire, the Dardanelles became a critical component of the empire’s dominance over trade routes. The Ottomans fortified the strait with castles and artillery to secure their hold over this crucial waterway.

The Dardanelles gained international attention during World War I, with the Gallipoli Campaign marking one of its most defining moments. The Allied forces sought to gain control of the strait to open a direct route to Russia and weaken the Ottoman Empire. However, the campaign ended in failure for the Allies, with heavy casualties on both sides. This battle also led to the fame of the local Ottoman commander Mustafa Kemal, who became Attaturk, the founder and first president of modern Turkey.

Visiting the Dardanelles

I visited the Dardanelles as part of a press trip sponsored by the Turkish Tourism Board. We started our trip at the Istanbul Airport (IST) and ended it in the Sultanamet neighborhood of Istanbul.

Day 1: Arrival

After meeting my group in the early evening, we embarked on a scenic two-hour drive to Tekirdağ, a city on the European coast of the Sea of Marmara our first destination.

We stayed at the Ramada Hotel Tekirdağ, which I will review in more detail in a later post.

Dinner was held at the Barbare Vineyard in Tekirdağ’s wine region. This was a bit of a conundrum for me. As a rule, I don’t drink alcohol in a Muslim country out of respect for my hosts, but when the tourism board takes you to a vineyard, such rules seem inappropriate.

The winery was popular with locals based on the number of large groups we saw celebrating special occasions. The dinner was a collection of traditional dishes, including kofte, traditional Turkish meatballs, local cheeses, a type of local quiche, fava bean cake, and a salad with pomegranates (almost ubiquitous in Turkey), rice, and the local wine. I loved the ambiance of this warm family-run vineyard and quite enjoyed their wines, especially the medium-body red wines. As good as the food was, I would have been content even if we had only had the local cheese and a glass of their red wine.

Day 2: Ancient Wonders of Troy

The Ruins of Alexandria Troas

The second day began with an early breakfast at the Ramada Hotel Tekirdağ and a drive across the new bridge across the Dardanelles to the small town of Dalyan on the Asian coast. We were here to visit the ruins of Alexandria Troas, a city founded by one of Alexander the Great’s generals after his wars of conquest of this area and Persia. 

In the Book of Acts, chapter 16 of the Bible, the Apostle Paul came to Alexandria Troas. It was here that the writer Luke records that Paul had a vision of a Macedonian man begging him to “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Paul left here by ship to bring the gospel to Europe for the first time in his ministry.

We first walked to the shore, past a pink-hued lake, where a small hint of the ancient port of Alexandria Troas can be seen in the columns jutting out of the water. This area has not yet been excavated, so there may be more to see in the future.

The actual ruins of Alexandria Troas are fairly small compared to other Roman or Greek sites, but the remnants of a bathhouse and other structures, hint at its importance in ancient times. 

We happened to visit the site at the same time as a Turkish film crew was filming for an upcoming Turkish movie. Our guide recognized a few of the actors who are well-known for playing bad guys in Turkish cinema. Strangely enough, this is, by my count, the 4th time I have encountered a film crew in my travels.

We drove to the ruins of Tory near the modern-day city of Çanakkale. We ate lunch at a restaurant called Olea, which is across from the Troy Museum. We enjoyed traditional Turkish cuisine with more kofte, chicken, or fish.

The Complicated Ruins of Troy

The highlight of the day was our visit to the ancient city of Troy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site immortalized in Homer’s epic poems, The Iliad and The Odyssey. The city’s strategic location at the crossroads of trade routes between the Aegean and Anatolia made it a center of commerce and culture. Archaeological evidence indicates that Troy was occupied as early as the Early Bronze Age, around 3000 BCE. Over the millennia, the city experienced repeated destruction and rebuilding, ultimately forming a multilayered archaeological site that reflects its enduring significance in the ancient world.

Troy’s excavation began in 1870, spearheaded by Heinrich Schliemann, a German archaeologist fascinated by Homeric epics. His work revealed the city’s extensive history, but his excavation methods were controversial, crude, and often destructive, as he dug through upper layers to reach what he believed to be the Troy of the Trojan War. Archaeologists have since identified nine distinct layers of settlement, labeled Troy I through Troy IX, spanning nearly 4,000 years of history. I was surprised that archeologists think that it was continuously inhabited through those many versions of the city.

Each layer reflects a different period, from the Early Bronze Age to the Roman era. Schliemann famously uncovered what he called “Priam’s Treasure,” though its connection to Homer’s Troy remains debated. Schliemann notoriously smuggled the treasure out of the country to avoid giving the Ottoman Empire an agreed-upon 50/50 split of anything he found. His wife wore some of the jewelry found in the treasure as they left. To my surprise, he was later allowed back into the country after paying back what he owed the Ottomans.

Schliemann’s successor, Wilhelm Dörpfeld, conducted more systematic excavations and established a clearer understanding of Troy’s stratigraphy. Carl Blegen, an American archaeologist, advanced the study of Troy in the 1930s, providing detailed analyses of its nine layers and associating the destruction of Troy VIIa with the timeframe of the mythical Trojan War, around 1200 BCE. In the late 20th century, Manfred Korfmann employed advanced technologies such as ground-penetrating radar and 3D imaging, uncovering extensive fortifications, palaces, and evidence of a vibrant urban center.

Tory is a complex site. Because the city has different layers, the archeologists had to decide when to stop diffing and which layers to display. In addition, some parts of the city were used across multiple versions of the city. It is not as if there are nine layers to the city in every location. Rather than show only one coherent city plan from a single era, they dug to different depths in different places and then labeled which version of the city you are looking at in each location. 

I had previously heard that the site was small. It was larger than I expected. My joy in seeing the site was actually standing in the place that I had first heard about so many years ago. Was there really a Trojan War, just like it was described in the Illiad with heroes like Achilles, Odysseus, Hector, and Paris? Probably not. But Troy was a real place for a very long time.

The Museum of Troy

After an hour of exploring Alexandria Troas, we headed to the Museum of Troy, a wonderfully modern museum that brought the historic city of Troy to life. This museum has three floors and houses an impressive collection of artifacts uncovered from the ruins of Troy, including pottery, weapons, and jewelry.

You can have your photo taken behind a small version of a Trojan horse. The Trojan Horse taught us to “beware of Greeks bearing gifts,” although perhaps the real lesson should have been to “beware of gifts bearing Greeks.”

Do it yourself model of ancient Troy… some assembly is required

The museum has traditional displays, interactive displays, and a hint of whimsy. I appreciated a few video displays near the cafe and giftshop that brought the Trojan Horse to life and showed imperial stormtroopers visiting the ancient site.

Çanakkale

The city of Çanakkale is a large coastal city near the ancient site. It is a University town with lively nightlife and a coastal promenade. It hosts yet another version of the Trojan Horse, which is a prop from the Brad Pitt movie Troy.

We visited on November 10th, which is the anniversary of the death of Attaturk. There were ceremonies held throughout the country and remembrances placed in front of his statue in Çanakkale as well.

After sunset, we went to Hayati Şef restaurant for a traditional Turkish dinner. This restaurant specializes in seafood. It is one of a string of restaurants along the coast in the city. It also had one table set aside as a small memorial to Attaturk on this day.

The day concluded with our arrival at the DoubleTree by Hilton Çanakkale, where we checked in for the night at this comfortable seaside hotel.

In Istanbul, we checked into the Motto Hotel Sultanahmet, a boutique hotel situated in the heart of the city’s historic Sultanahmet district. After settling in, we headed to Giritli Restaurant, renowned for its Aegean-inspired cuisine. The multi-course meal featured a medley of mezes and fresh seafood paired with Turkish wines. The cozy atmosphere and impeccable hospitality made it a perfect way to end the day.

Conclusion

The Dardanelles remains a geographically and historically significant place. From the history and legend of ancient Troy to the real-life heroism and pathos of the Gallipoli battlefield, this fascinating area is worth a visit. 

The Turkish Tourism Board partially supported this trip as part of the SATW (Society of American Travel Writers) conference in Istanbul.