Assos ( Behramkale )

Assos or Behramkale is locatedin the Ayvacik district of Canakkale province. It is both an historical site steeped in ancient history and a tourist attraction by the sea. It is situated on the southern side of the Biga Peninsula, known as Troad,

The official name of the town is Behramkale but it is generally referred to locally as Assos. There are really two parts to Assos. The archaeological site on the hill and the beautiful fishing village with its own harbour on the coast.

The ancient harbour is a beautiful little enclave with fishing boats and small restaurants and gift shops. There are a couple of very good hotels here and a beach for those that wish to go swimming.

From the top of the hill at the ancient Temple of Athena you get a panoramic view of thisimpressive coastline and an idea as to how magnificent this site must have been in its hey day. The island of Lesbos lies out to sea to the south and the harbour of Assos can be seen with its sparkling turqoise waters below.

Visitors to the ancient site will see a large statue dedicated to Plato, student of Aristotle who spent more than three years of his life here in Assos. The temple of Athena and the Acropolis of Assos are 238 metres above sea level.

As you walk up the steep path to the historical site you will find many village stalls selling trinkets, clothing and general souvenir items. In addition to the main site there is an impressive mosque built by Ottoman Sultan Murat in the 14th century that is also worth a visit.

The ancient ruins are still in the process of being restored. They date back to the 7th century B.C. and the original foundations were laid by Aeolian citizens from Lesbos.

This important historical site is a must for any visitor to this region and the charming and idyllic town below is a great place to relax and unwind.

Just two kilometres down the road from Assos there is place called KadirgaCove, surrounded by old olive trees and a beautiful beach and sparkling clean sea. The beach is nice and wide and has been awarded Blue Flag status.

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Babakale

Babakale is perhaps best known for its restored castle. It dates back to 1723 and was one of the last Ottoman castles of its era.  Babakale lies at the most western point on the Turkish mainland.

The harbour is impressive and provides shelter for many fishing boats.  Tourism is important here too and there are plenty of places to stay. The location of Babakale provides an excellent base from which to explore the rest of this beautiful coastline.

There is a good sandy beach at Babakale which provides safe bathing and is shallow for swimmers. Babakale used to be a pirates paradise and during the time of Sultan Ahmed III the castle was built to provide protection for the local people.

Whilst tourism provides a good income for many of the locals there is an economy in the growing of olives, knife making and shoe manufacturing.

Whether you are passing through or stopping over, Babakale is definately worth a visit and if you are feeling peckish you might try some freshly caught fish in one of the restaurants.

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Troas Beach Hotel

The Troas Beach Hotel has to be one of the nicest places to stay along this coastline. We recently bought a house in Tavakli village which needed renovation and since this hotel is right on the beach in Tavakli Iskelesi it was one of the most convenient locations we could have chosen.

The beach is very clean and the crystal clear waters of the Aegean are the first thing you see when you turn up for breakfast in the morning. Above is an actual view of the beach from the restaurant which consists of a well designed terrace on stilts surrounded by a beautiful and well kept hotel garden.

Half board at this hotel is about as good as it gets anywhere. Having stayed at numerous good quality hotels around the world this simple and yet tasteful establishment could give many of them a run for their money.

The photos here were taken at the end of August at a time when most places in Turkey would be pretty scorched and the grass would be brown and dried up. However, the abundance of water in this region, the skills of a good gardener and a clear desire on the part of the hotel to create the perfect environment have all paid off to make any stay here a very pleasant one.

Despite its location right on the beach the hotel still has its own pool which is meticulously maintained and which always looks so clean and inviting. A games / television room adjacent to the pool provides a place to chill out and relax if you need to go indoors.

This hotel has an appeal that will suit families, couples or single occupancy visitors. It is in an enviable location for those on honeymoon, for people who want to explore this beautiful region of Turkey or just a great place to chill out for those escaping the big cities.

The rooms here are modern, light and spacious. The bathrooms are tastefully decorated and the rooms have balconies and air conditioning.

The light and airy atmosphere and simple modern furnishings add to the ambience of the surroundings.

This hotel scores highly in so many ways. The food both at breakfast and in the evenings is buffet style but varied so that over a period of a week you still find it interesting enough to enjoy it as much as the first day you arrived.

However, what really makes this hotel special is the staff. The chambermaids smile, the waiters and assistants run around constantly trying their best to make their customers feel special and the level of service is actually better than what you would receive at many 4 or 5 star hotels.

Would we recommend the Troas Beach Hotel? You bet we would. You will search high and low to find accommodation as good as this and at such a reasonable price for what is on offer.

This is what the Troas Beach Hotel have to say about themselves on their website;

Troas Beach Hotel is located by the sea in Tavakli Iskelesi of Canakkale. We have 37 standard and 3 suit rooms. Once upon a time, the biggest ancient city of Anatolia, Alexandreia Troas is situated 7 km from our hotel. All of the rooms have sea view and designed to meet all your needs .

Website: http://www.troasbeach.com/HTML-ENGLISH/genel.html

Tavaklı Village

https://www.facebook.com/groups/bizimtavakli

The old name of this village is Larissa. Later this was changed to Tavaklı.

Canakkale is 74 km away from Tavakli and Ezine is just 24 km away. The location of this  village is between the edge of the Sakar Mountain and 3km inland of the Agean  Sea. It has a height above sea level of 200 metres.

The beach area is called Tavakli Iskelesi. At the present time there is  no port here but in the past they used to export oak acorns from Tavakli  Iskelesi. Along the beach are several guest houses, a few hotels and some  restaurants.

The weather is mainly a temperate climate and far more comfortable than  that of the south coast where it can get uncomfortably hot in peak season.

The latest census population figures for the year 2020 show 573  residents. This does include permanent residents of Tavakli Iskelesi too. As a rough estimate the numbers in the village at any one time are around 250 to 300.

Agriculture is the main economy of the area. Oak acorn had been used in  paint production for a long time but this has now ceased due to the  introduction of synthetic paints. There are now only two acorn storage places  left.

After acorn production the main agricultural emphasis switched to olive  oil production. Most of the land in and around the village is not level and is  suitable for the growing of olive trees. The olive oil production factories provide a good seasonal income resource for  the young people in the village.

Researchers into olive oil production have established that this is one  of the best quality of olives for the purposes of olive oil production. Within  the village there are four separate olive oil production factories where the  olives are picked and processed all in the same day.

In the flat surrounding areas of Tavakli the main agricultural produce is that of fruit such as apricot, plumbs, pears, apples, peaches, honeydew melon, water melon, tomatoes and for vegetables cauliflower, peppers, beans, wheat, broad beans and chic peas. There are also almond trees which do not contribute much financially but do add to the greenery of the area.

Once upon a time there were vineyards here. A few families still produce grapes for the purposes of wine production. There is also cattle, sheep and goat farming but if you compare this with other villages in and around Ezine this is small by comparison.

Although there is a sea shore nearby there is no port or pier for  fishing boats. As a result there is not a great deal of fishing here in terms  of industry. If you compare Tavakli with other villages, it is financially in a  good position.

There are summer houses around Tavakli village. There are  some social establishments that provide job opportunities to the villagers and  make Tavakli a more attractive place to live. Although not a major tourist area  this unspoiled region of Turkey does benefit from local tourism in the summer  months. The waters of the sea are unpolluted and the sea is crystal clear and a  pleasure to swim in.

Although there is a primary school in the village it is now closed and pupils attend the school in Uluköy. There is a water sewage system in place in the village and there is small village post office ( PTT ) agency and a shop ( bakkal ). There is also a health centre and a tarmac road to the village from the coast. The village has electricity, telephone lines and internet access.

The village head ( Muhtar ) is Cemil Özmen

Tel: 0541 6274076

From a historical perspective the ancient site of Alexander Troas is
nearby and there is another ancient city site of Neandria which is less well
known.