View across the Agora, looking up to the city's ancient citadel atop Panos Hill, now Kadifekale.
Çanakkale
Türkiye
September 26, 2023
Where Carla indulges in the vibrant social life of Çanakkale, and Timucin recounts some stories from ancient times.
Once called Dardanellia, Çanakkale, the castle of the ceramic potteries (‘çanak’ means pottery and ‘kalesi’ means castle) sits on the Asian side of the Hellespont, the narrow strait that separates Asia from Europe, now called the Gelibolu Strait. The town sits at the channel’s narrowest point, so you can see Europe up close.
It is delightful town, vibrantly alive and buzzing with both the locals, the many students who attend university here, and weekend visitors coming down from Istanbul. Everyone heads to the wide esplanade that fronts the port and from which many bars and eateries shine with lights and revelry every day until late.
Slap bang in the middle of the widest part of the esplanade sits an imaginatively conceived version of the Trojan Horse, this made for the appalling bad 2004 movie (with the notable exception of Brad Pitt), “Troy”. This clunky carbuncle of a horse is now Çanakkale’s mascot.
Just a few paces down the several ferries that traverse the Gelibolu Strait lie moored, ready to take people and vehicles to Europe. It only takes fifteen minutes.
Further down the Strait, just where it begins to widen into the Aegean, the Ottoman fortress of Sultaniye Kalesi squats, intently on guard against invaders. Now a museum, the fort was in action against the British in the 1915 Gallipoli campaign. Many tourists with a family connection to that disaster stay in Çanakkale when visiting the ANZAC trenches and cemeteries on the European side.
Hero and Leander
“Do you know about the events where people swim across the Gelibolu Strait?” Timucin asked me over a beer in his favorite (now my) bar.
“I know of the Leander Tower in Istanbul and the legend of two ill-fated lovers”, I replied.
“Well it all happened here. Shall I tell you the story?”
“Yes please!”
“Hero, priestess of Aphrodite lived in Sestos – it’s called Eceabat now, over there ..” Timucin said, pointing over the Strait to its European side, “while Leander”, he continued, “lived in Abydos – now part of northern Çanakkale”.
“Leander fell in love with Hero, so every evening after work he would swim from Abydos to Sestos, guided by the light of a torch Hero planted atop the tower she lived in. In the early morning he would swim back to Abydos.”
“Come the winter, the Straits roil from tempestuous winds blowing in from the north. For many days swimming was not possible. One night Leander sees Hero has lit the torch, so he jumps into the turbulent waters. Half way across and the strong winds blow out the torch. Not knowing where to swim to, Leander loses direction and drowns. In the early light of dawn Hero sees Leander’s body, washed up on the rocks below. In despair she jumps from the tower, to die on the rocks beside him.”
“Many years later, in 1810 the famous poet and adventurer Lord Byron swam from Eceabat to where Abydos once stood, in remembrance of Leander’s swim. Since some time ago every year we celebrate this event, with intrepid swimmers making the crossing from Eceabat to Çanakkale.”
The Bridge
“Timucin, when I flew into Istanbul some days ago, we flew over a narrow strait that was definitely not the Bosphoros, but there is a great road bridge crossing it. Has a new bridge been built?” I asked him over morning coffee.
“Yes there is. It is further up the Gelibolu Strait, just south of the town of Gelibolu. Its called the 1915 bridge and was opened just last year.” he replied.
“Do you know that, many centuries ago, another bridge crossed the Straits?” He continued.
“Yes! The pontoon bridge thrown across the Hellespont by the Persian King Xerxes, as he prepared to attack the Greeks across the sea.” I exclaimed, suddenly remembering my ancient history.
“Do you know where he had the bridge constructed?” asked Timucin.
“Not exactly, no.”
“Most probably from Nara Bumu, which lies a little further north of here, and Sestos. At the time this was the narrowest crossing – with the strongest currents too.”
“Has anyone found a vestige of this enormous feat?” I asked.
“No, all is gone as the coastline changed through the centuries. Even here in Çanakkale the coast has extended out into the Straits, so the crossing from here to Kilidülbahir, just over there, where the ferries go, is the shortest.”
Some friends of Timucin’s turned up; we all happily chatted about many things late into the night, good music and great company all around. A few more beers later we dispersed to our various homes.
The next time I visit Türkiye, I will for sure come and stay in Çanakkale again.
One gentleman taking in the late afternoon sun as he sits on the sea breakers fronting Izmir's long promenade.