Çanakkale
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Çanakkale (pronounced [tʃaˈnakkaˌle]) is a town and seaport in Turkey, in Çanakkale Province, on the southern (Asian) coast of the Dardanelles (or Hellespont) at their narrowest point. The population of the town is 106,116 (2010 estimate.) [1] The mayor is Ülgür Gökhan (CHP).
Çanakkale Province, like Istanbul Province, has territory in both Europe and Asia. Ferries cross here to the northern (European) side of the strait.
The city is the nearest major town to the site of ancient Troy. The "wooden horse" from the 2004 movie Troy is exhibited on the seafront. Çanakkale is the second city to be situated on two continents after Istanbul. However Çanakkale is closer to mid-division than Istanbul. There is a Jewish community.[2]
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[edit] Name
The Byzantine name for Çanakkale was Δαρδανέλλια Dardanellia, from which the English name Dardanelles is derived.
Çanakkale was an Ottoman fortress called Kale-i Sultaniye (Ottoman Turkish: قلعة سلطانيه) or Sultaniye kalesi (Fortress of the Sultan). It later became known for its pottery, hence the later name Çanak kalesi 'pot fortress' or 'Çanakkale.
[edit] Legends
Ancient Abydos, where the story of Hero and Leander takes place, is to the north of Çanakkale.
[edit] History
The first inhabitants of the city, which hosted many civilizations, had lived on the Biga Peninsula in the Last Chalcolithic Age c. 6000 years ago. However, very little is known about the identity and lifestyle of these early settlers. According to some excavations and research, the earliest settlements in the region were set up at Kumtepe. It is supposed that Kumkale was set up in 4000 BC and Troy was set up between 3500–3000 BC. The real history of Çanakkale started with Troy. It was the brightest cultural center of its time during 3000–2000 BC.
Later the Aeolians had settled on that important land in the 8th century BC and established many trade colonies in the region called Aeolis. The region went under the control of the Lydians in the 7th century BC and under the control of the Persians in the 6th century BC. Aeolis went under the control of the Macedonians as Alexander the Great defeated the Persians by the Granicus River of the region in the Battle of the Granicus on his way to Asia. The region went under the reign of the Kingdom of Pergamon in the 2nd century BC.
The western part of the Biga Peninsula where ancient Troy is stiuated was called Troas. Alexandria Troas, an important settlement of the region, was a free trade port and a rich trade center during Roman times. Later in the 2nd century AD, the region was attacked by Goths from Thrace. During the 7th and 8th centuries, in order to attack Constantinople (modern İstanbul) the Arabs passed the strait a few times and came up to Sestos. At the beginning of the 14th century the Karasids dominated the Anatolian part of the strait. During the first half of that century Demirhan Bey from Karasids attempted to dominate the region. The Ottomans gained control of Gallipoli in 1367.
The 'Chanak Crisis' of 1922 centred around a British and French force stationed at Çanakkale after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire. The new Turkish Republic demanded their withdrawal. Lloyd George wanted to fight the Turks because their leader at 'Chanak', Kemal Atatürk, had defied a signed and legal treaty via armament and military aggressiveness. Ultimately, the British and Turkish troops ended up at an impasse. Rather than engaging in another war on the heels of the first World War, peace was negotiated.
[edit] Climate
Çanakkale has a mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers and cool and rainy winters.
| Climate data for Çanakkale | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 19.9 (67.8) |
21.2 (70.2) |
24.2 (75.6) |
26.1 (79) |
32.1 (89.8) |
36.8 (98.2) |
39.0 (102.2) |
38.6 (101.5) |
35.4 (95.7) |
31.7 (89.1) |
25.2 (77.4) |
22.5 (72.5) |
39 |
| Average high °C (°F) | 9.6 (49.3) |
9.8 (49.6) |
12.3 (54.1) |
16.9 (62.4) |
22.4 (72.3) |
27.7 (81.9) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.3 (86.5) |
26.0 (78.8) |
20.5 (68.9) |
15.4 (59.7) |
11.3 (52.3) |
19.4 (66.92) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 3.3 (37.9) |
3.4 (38.1) |
5.0 (41) |
8.7 (47.7) |
12.9 (55.2) |
17.1 (62.8) |
19.8 (67.6) |
19.9 (67.8) |
16.1 (61) |
12.3 (54.1) |
8.2 (46.8) |
5.3 (41.5) |
11 (51.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | -8.6 (16.5) |
-11.2 (11.8) |
-8.4 (16.9) |
-1.3 (29.7) |
3.4 (38.1) |
8.4 (47.1) |
11.6 (52.9) |
11.6 (52.9) |
8.2 (46.8) |
0.4 (32.7) |
-2.8 (27) |
-7.2 (19) |
-11.2 |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 85.3 (3.358) |
66.2 (2.606) |
65.8 (2.591) |
47.3 (1.862) |
32.1 (1.264) |
23.1 (0.909) |
14.6 (0.575) |
6.9 (0.272) |
21.9 (0.862) |
58.0 (2.283) |
89.1 (3.508) |
102.4 (4.031) |
612.7 (24.122) |
| Avg. rainy days | 10.9 | 10.3 | 9.0 | 8.4 | 5.6 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 3.6 | 6.6 | 9.1 | 12.1 | 85.6 |
| Sunshine hours | 105.4 | 120.4 | 170.5 | 219 | 291.4 | 330 | 362.7 | 347.2 | 264 | 195.3 | 126 | 86.8 | 2,618.7 |
| Source: Devlet Meteoroloji İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü [3] | |||||||||||||
[edit] Notable people from Çanakkale
Ece Ayhan(poet)
Teoman Alpay(compositor)
İbrahim Bodur(entrepreneur)
Nuri Bilge Ceylan(director)
Tahir Musa Ceylan (novelist philosopher)
[edit] Education
The service of education throughout the city is above the country averages. There are 13 high schools and a college within the boundaries of the city. 18 Mart University has 9 faculties, 2 institutes, 2 vocational schools and serves more than 20,000 students. Eight percent of the population are college graduates.
[edit] Transportation
Canakkale has one airport, which is 3 km off the city, serving since 1995. Anadolu Jet a trademark of Turkish Airlines and Borajet has flights from Istanbul and Ankara all days of the week. Sea transportation is vital for the city since it is located on both sides of Asian and European continents, just like Istanbul. Çanakkale is linked to north, east, and south by well-paved highways numbered E87/E90/D550, E90/D200, and E87/D550 respectively.There are buses from Istanbul and Izmir at any time, day or night. Just go to Istanbul's otogar, and look for 'Canakkale' signs on the windowpanes of bus company offices. It takes five and a half to six hours to get from Istanbul to Canakkale and about the same time from Izmir.
[edit] Twinships
[edit] See also
- Battle of Gallipoli
- Güzelyalı, a nearby town
- Chanak Crisis
[edit] References
- ^ Statistical Institute
- ^ Avotaynu: the international review of Jewish genealogy, Volume 14, G. Mokotoff, 1998, p. 40.
- ^ http://www.dmi.gov.tr/veridegerlendirme/il-ve-ilceler-istatistik.aspx?m=CANAKKALE
- Encyclopedia Britannica Eleventh Edition s.v. Dardanelles (town).
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Canakkale |
- Çanakkale Web Site
- Pictures of the town and sub-galleries to major sights
- [1] an overview of memorials, cemeteries and relics of the gallipoli campaign, in turkish known as the Canakkale wars.
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