Top 10 Remarquable Facts about Çanakkale

Boat on the sea during sunset. Photo by Emre- Unsplash

Top 10 Remarquable Facts about Çanakkale

Dardanellia (Greek: v), formerly Çanakkale (pronounced [tanakkale]), is a city and seaport in Turkey’s Çanakkale Province on the southern shore of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point. The city has a population of 195,439 people (2021 estimate). 

Çanakkale is the closest major urban centre to Troy, which (along with the ancient region of the Troad) is located within Çanakkale Province. On the seafront, a wooden horse from the 2004 film Troy is on display.

Çanakkale is located in the northwest of the Republic of Turkey, and its best land is in the Marmara Region. The city has land in both Asia (Anatolia) and Europe (Thrace), as well as a bosporus called the Çanakkale Bosporus, which splits the city down the middle. Çanakkale is Thrace’s second largest city after Istanbul.

1.Brief history about Çanakkale 

Çanakkale was best known as Hellespontos or Dardanelles in ancient times, and it has been inhabited for over 300 years. Even today, there are many historical ruins of Troy Ancient City, which was destroyed by an earthquake in B.C. 2500 and then administered by Lydians in Çanakkale. The Persian Empire, which ruled the region at the time, defeated Alexander the Great in Grakinos Brook’s bank in B.C. 336.

2.The origin of the name Çanakkale 

The name Çanakkale refers to a site previously known as Kale-i-Sultaniye, which was embraced as the official term for the town in 1890, despite being updated a century earlier. Çanakkale was an Ottoman fortress known as Kale-i Sultaniye (Ottoman Turkish: ) or Sultaniye kalesi (Fortress of the Sultan).

From the late 17th century, it was also known for its wonderful ceramics, Çanakkale pottery, which one traveller compared to Delftware, thus the later name anak kalesi ‘pot fortress.’ Dardanellia was the Greek-Byzantine name for Çanakkale, from which the English name Dardanelles is derived.

In their disclosures, starting around 1920, the British began to refer to Çanakkale as Chanak and Kale Sultanie.

3.The community’s heritage and how they live together

Çanakkale was influenced by multiple societies over thousands of years, and both the city’s architecture and the citizens’ culture reflected this. Ever since 1970s, Çanakkale residents have made numerous business investments, and the city has been modified on a monthly basis.

Accessibility had expanded in favour of business investments, and the city’s appearance had begun to change. Today, Çanakkale is one of Turkey’s most modern cities. It is a model city, with wide sidewalks, clean streets, and well-kept buildings.

Even though Çanakkale lacks a good substructure, it is one of Turkey’s most peaceful cities. Elemantary families are widespread in Çanakkale. Turkmens, Pomaks, Yuruks, Cherkesses, and Bosnians make up the city’s community.

4. When’s the best time to visit Çanakkale?

A view of the bridge during sunset. Photo by Emre- Unsplash

Çanakkale‘s climate is Mediterranean, but the subtle impact of the oceanic Black Sea coast and the continental Balkans causes it to experience colder winter temperatures than typical Mediterranean climates. As a result, Çanakkale has hot, dry summers and cool to chilly, rainy winters with snow on occasion. The city is notoriously windy all year.

Summers are hot, with highs around 30°C, though the hottest days can reach temperatures above 35°C. Rain is uncommon, but a few moderately heavy showers can disrupt the otherwise sunny and dry weather.

Winters are cool, sometimes chilly, with highs just below 10°C and nightly frosts. Rain is common, and rainy spells frequently follow the infamous Marmara region’s violent windstorms,  known as Lodos in the Southwest area.

Ferries are frequently cancelled due to windstorms, so keep an eye out for these days if you plan on taking one. Snow falls and accumulates almost every year, and heavier snowstorms can occur once every two or three years.

Spring (especially April and May) and fall are mild, making them ideal times to visit the city. There are a few rain showers here and there, but they don’t last long.

5.Book a boat or yacht while you’re visiting Çanakkale 

In addition to the marinas of Karabiga, Gelibolu, Bozcaada, and Kucukkuyu, the Çanakkale Marina hosts the vibrantly coloured yachts that pass through the strait and make a stopover in Çanakkale to see this historically and mythologically rich area, which is the birthplace of many well-known legends.

A new pier has been built in Çanakkale‘s Kepez district, with bulk, general, passenger, Ro-Ro, warehouse, and open storage facilities. It is the closest cruise ship passenger terminal to Troy.

6.Çanakkale has an amazing museum you can visit while you are there

Clear Turkish glass with some black tea. Photo by Emre- Unsplash

Çanakkale has a lovely archaeological museum with several artifacts dispersed in 5 different halls; Çanakkale ceramics from the 17th century to the 20th century implying the city being one of the most main towns of ceramic production during the Ottoman Empire, chest of drawers from the 19th century used in the oldest mansions of Çanakkale indicating the best samples of wooden workmanship of the era, tomb steles from Kyzikos in Mysia and ancient towns (Apollon Smintheion Holy Area).

7.Only 20 decks of Çanakkale Bridge left to be united and completed

Officials have installed the 67th of the 87 decks of the Çanakkale Bridge, with the goal of completing the road connecting the European and Asian sides of the strait by the end of September.

The bridge, dubbed the “neckband of the Çanakkale Strait,” will open to the public on March 18, 2022, the 107th anniversary of the Çanakkale Victory.

As per Anadolu Agency reporters who observed the recent works on the bridge, approximately 5,000 workers, along with 650 engineers, are working around the clock to bring the bridge back into service.

On September 15, the 67th deck, which is 48 meters long and 45 meters wide, was finally deployed on the bridge road.

The distance between the bridge’s two legs on opposite sides is exactly 2,023 meters, referring to the Turkish Republic’s 100th anniversary in 2023.

“The bridge is painted in the colour schemes of the Turkish flag: red and white,” according to the news agency. Furthermore, the bridge’s towers will be shaped like cannonballs, which served as the symbolic name of the Çanakkale Victory, Seyit Onbaş (Corporal Seyit), throughout the Independence War.

The bridge will link Çanakkale’s Lapseki district on the Asian side with the Gelibolu district on the European side.

8.Çanakkale has a lovely archaeological museum that one can visit

Çanakkale has a lovely archaeological museum with several artifacts dispersed in 5 different halls; Çanakkale ceramics from the 17th century to the 20th century implying the city being one of the most main towns of ceramic production during the Ottoman Empire, chest of drawers from the 19th century used in the oldest mansions of Çanakkale indicating the best samples of wooden workmanship of the era, tomb steles from Kyzikos in Mysia and ancient towns (Apollon Smintheion Holy Area).

9.The Kordon Boyu Waterfront Project in Çanakkale

Old man with a walking stick crossing the road. Photo by Emre- Unsplash

The historical significance of Çanakkale and its environs, as well as visual interaction with the Gallipoli Peninsula, where the Çanakkale Wars occurred, make the waterfront much more meaningful than it is.

All year, both domestic and foreign visitors come to the City Centre and the coastal district.

In this regard, an urban design project mirroring the advanced face of the city and integrating powerful physical connections with the city that provides both Çanakkale residents and tourists, allowing them to enjoy and relax, solving transportation problems (for pedestrians, vehicles, and bicycles), and having and organizing different activities.

The urban area where the clock tower, the urban square, and the passenger pier exist is intended with a constant pedestrian circulation system, sitting and relaxation areas, street and boulevard cafes, and urban furniture.

Kayserili Ahmat Pasha Street, a coastal road, has been restructured to improve pedestrian comfort (by changing existing pavement material, pedestrian accesses, etc.). During the summer evenings, when pedestrian traffic and density are high, the road is closed to vehicular traffic.

10.How to get to and around Çanakkale via the airport

Çanakkale has two airports, the first of which is 3 kilometres from the city centre and has been in operation since 1995. Turkish Airlines’ Anadolu Jet and Borajet operate daily flights between Istanbul and Ankara.

The second airport serves the district of Çanakkale’s island of Gökçeada.

Concreted motorways connect Çanakkale to the north, east, and south. There are buses that go to Istanbul and Izmir.