The Ancient City Of Troy And The Acropolis Of Pergamon

Troy Ancient City
There is an important archaeological site in Canakkale where the ancient city of Troy once stood. This city is said to be where the legendary Trojan War took place. According to a well known legend, the Greek soldiers were able to capture the city of Troy after a fruitless ten-year attempt by hiding in a giant wooden horse supposedly left as an offering for the goddess Athena. Though this story remains a legend and the existence of the Trojan Horse, a myth, the wooden horse has become a very popular icon in Troy. A replica of it is even placed at the entrance of this archeological site which somehow invoked some imagination with regard to the said legend.

This wooden horse replica was built in 1975 and is actually big enough to take in only a dozen people which is far from an army of soldiers as depicted in the legend. There is another wooden horse in Canakkale city centre, a gift from the producers of the Hollywood Blockbuster movie 'Troy' starring Brad Pitt after the filming was completed. It's a pity we didn't get to see that one.

The archeological site which was listed a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 is located a short walking distance from where the wooden horse is. There is a systematic boardwalk and historical write-ups which guide visitors along but our tour guide, Ahmed did an excellent job at explaining and expounding the history of the ruins.

The existence of this site dates back to 3000 BC. Even though most of the city has been reduced to rubbles, a few structures remain intact. These include some stretches of walls, the amphitheatre, and the ramp where horse carts passed through in the olden days.

The ramp

Some wells

The amphitheatre

The Acropolis Of Pergamon

On the same day we travelled to Bergama to visit The Acropolis Of Pergamon. There are more things to see on this archeological site.

The ancient city of Pergamon was built on a hill and we had to take a cable car up.

This ancient city was established in the first half of the 2nd century BC and on it once stood temples, palaces, library, theatre, water reservoir, wells and other edifices.

The most prominent building seen on the site is the Traianeum, or Temple of Trajan, a huge marble temple that has been partially reconstructed from ruins found on the site.

Also found on the site are very beautifully carved rocks.

The Hellenistic Theatre perched on a sloping ground appeared well preserved. This is the world's steepest theatre with a 10,000 seating capacity.

What remains of Pergamon library which boasted 200,000 volume of books in antique ages is just a wall.

Stretches of walls and scattered bricks are what's left of a city that used to thrive. Who lived and walked here is for you to imagine.

Another structure that remains intact is the archway.

After soaking in much history of the ruins, it was time to take the cable car down to where our bus was parked.

There is a row of souvenir shops and small eateries next to the cable car station. One of the store keeper simply put a cap on my head trying to solicit a sale. I didn't get to bargain and purchase it as we had to leave in a hurry. 

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