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The province of Canakkale lies on both sides of the Dardanelles which connects the Sea of Marmara to the Aegean Sea. Its shores touch both Europe (with the Gelibolu Peninsula) and Asia (with the Biga Peninsula) and there are regular ferries between the two sides.
The Canakkale Marina, besides those of Karabiga, Gelibolu, Bozcaada and Kucukkuyu, hosts the colorful yachts which pass through the strait and make a stopover at Canakkale, to see this historical and mythological rich area, homeland of many widely known legends.
The province has witnessed two very important battles in history. One of them is the mythological war of Troy, which Homer immortalized in his Illiad. Archaeological digs in Troy (Truva) have proved that there had been nine separate periods of settlement (3000 BC- 400 AD). Here, one can see the ruins of city walls in addition to the Wooden Horse of Troy. The other one is the Battle of Canakkale which took place during World War I when Turkish troops under the command of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk maintained the defense of the region against enemy forces and Canakkale has taken its place in history as "Canakkale; unpassable". To honor the 500,000 soldiers who gave their lives at Gelibolu (Gallipoli), this peninsula has been made a national park of remembrance. There are memorial monuments here in surroundings of natural beauty.
The small village of Behramkale is a lovely place, facing the Gulf of Edremit. It is founded on the site of Assos where there is the famous Temple of Athena built in the 6th century BC. The panoramic view of the Gulf from the top of the acropolis is breathtaking and the remains of Assos, surrounding the acropolis are worth visiting.
Gökceada, the largest of the Turkish islands, and Bozcaada are also in this region and they have many camping facilities.
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Abydos
It lies on the European side of Canakkale which today is called as Eceabat. A titular see of Troas in Asia Minor, suffragan of Cyzicus in the Hellespontic province. It was situated at the narrowest point of the Hellespont, and was famous as the legendary spot where Leander swam over to Sestus (todays Canakkale city) to visit his mistress, Hero. Here, too, Xerxes built the famous bridge of boats (480 s.c.) on which he crossed with his troops to a promontory on the opposite European shore then torched it to make sure that there was no return for his army.
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CANAKKALE
