About the City
TROY
Ancient Troy is famous for the legendary Trojan Horse from
the times of an equally legendary couple: Helen and Paris. Homer immortalized
Troy with his narration of the stories of King Priam, Hector, Paris and the
beautiful Helen. Excavations on the site have revealed at least nine separate
periods of settlement. The ruins include a temple, a theater and the foundations
of other constructions. Today, a recent wooden copy of the famous Trojan Horse
symbolically stands at the entrance to the site to recall its legendary origin,
long since vanished.
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ASSOS
Assos, the famous center of learning of antiquity lies 87 km south of
Çanakkale in the county of Ayvacik. Aristotle, Plato's most famous student, was
invited to Assos and spent over three years living and teaching there. He
married the niece of Hermeia, founded a school of philosophy and conducted his
early exploratory work in zoology, biology and botany during this period.
The acropolis of Assos is 238 meters above sea level. The Temple of
Athena was constructed on this site in the 6th century B.C. This Doric temple is
being restored to its former glory when it enjoyed its role as guardian of the
Biga Peninsula and Gulf of Edremit. Linger to see the moonlight scattered
through the temple ruins, or rise early for the gently awakening dawn over the
acropolis. From the top you can take in the magnificent vista of the Gulf of
Edremit and appreciate why this heavenly location was chosen. On the terraces
descending to the sea are agoras, a gymnasium and a theatre. From the northern
corner of the acropolis, you can see a mosque, bridge and a fortress, all built
in the 14th century by the Ottoman Sultan Murat I. Down below lies a tiny and
idyllic ancient harbor. Assos has gained the reputation of being the center of
the Turkish art community with its lively, friendly and bohemian atmosphere.
This is a place you will remember for years to come.
www.assos.org
MOUNT IDA
You can visit the Altar of Zeus in the shadow of Ida Dagi.
Here also, is situated the beautiful Mount Ida National Park, with magnicifent
landscapes, restful green areas and several hot springs. Take a moment to
consider mythology, because here the world's first beauty contest was held
between Aphrodite, Hera and Athena. According to the story, at an important
marriage banquet of King Peleus and the sea nymph Thetis, to which the Evil
Goddess of Discord, Eris, was not invited, Eris threw into the banqueting hall a
golden apple marked 'For the Fairest'. All the goddesses wanted it, but in the
end the choice was narrowed down to three: Aphrodite, Hera and Athena. They
asked Zeus to judge them but he refused and told them to go to Mount Ida where
the young prince Paris was keeping his father's sheep. He was a shepherd because
his father Priam, the King of Troy , had been warned that this Prince would some
day be the ruin of his country, and so he had sent him away. All the goddesses
offered him bribes. The choice was not easy. Hera promised to make him Lord of
Europe and Asia; Athena, that he would lead the Trojans to victory against the
Greeks; Aphrodite, that the fairest woman in all the world should be his. He
chose the last and gave Aphrodite the golden apple.
That was the judgement of Paris, famed everwhere as the real reason for the
Trojan War. Knowing mythology, however, is not a pre-requisite for enjoying the
beautiful, restful green of Mount Ida with its hundreds of fresh springs and
beautiful trees shadowing picnic areas, and the invigorating hot-springs of Gure.
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