Assos, the famous
teaching center of antiquity is 87 km south of Canakkale in Ayvacik County.
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.
The acropolis of
Assos (Behramkale) 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 and 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, a 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 may be the holiday you will remember for years to come
Twenty-five km west of Behramkale, in the village of Gulpiar is the
ancient city of Chryse where the 2nd-century B.C. temple of Apollon
Smintheus is located. Babakale, a scenic village of houses terraced on a
cliff which drops to the sea is 15 km west of Gulpinar on an unmarked road
that follows the jagged coastline.
