Troy, a place where history abounds

On the Southern coast of the Dardanelles, not very far from the city of Çanakkale, you will find a mythical place, Troy, where one of the most famous military conflicts took place. Here, a powerful legend was born: the Trojan War.

The Legend

Once upon a time, Paris of Troy fell in love with Helen, the wife of Menelaus, the king of Sparta. Paris took her away from the king and then the greatest war in the Greek mythology had started. After ten years of fighting because Paris’ insult, to defeat the Trojans, the Greeks (more exactly Ulysses) planned a trap. They made a big wooden horse, and send it as a gift for them and for the gods. The Trojans accepted it and brought it in the fortress, mistake that led to their defeat, because in the horse were hiding the best troop of the Greeks. That day, the Troy was burned to the ground and the war ended.

You can remember the entire story here:

The Reality

Even if the story of the Trojan War hasn’t been confirmed by the historians because the lack of evidence, the place still exists and I’ve seen it with my eyes. Obviously, it was turned into a touristic destination to which everyone comes to see the replica of the famous Trojan horse.

I’ve been there and the kid inside me was so happy to find out that anyone could climb inside the big wooden construction! Of course I did it too!

The ancient Troy

Beyond the famous horse, I also visited the walls of Troy… Or what remained of the construction after the historians and the archaeologists uncovered it. I liked the Odeon the most, a roman amphitheater, probably because it reminded me – although it is much smaller – of the Roman Theatre of Orange in France.

Here is an interesting story, because, for a long time, the people considered that Troy was only a mythical legend. But, in 1822, a Scottish journalist discovered the place. After that point, a lot of specialists came here. They excavated the hill and revealed the fortress. The citadel has nine layers of walls, dated in different periods.

Now, the local administration carefully maintains The ancient Troy. The curators of the site made trails for tourists with bridges and ladders. The perimeter walls are well marked and you can’t pass the lines. The citadel is in the UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.

You can see the plan of Troy and all the important points here.