Canakkale, which holds a location of strategic importance, for its narrow join the shores of the Marmara and Aegean seas, therefore also joining Europe and Asia. Canakkale is where contemporary history comes back to life, one of the loveliest cities in the Marmara region of Turkey. While you are in Canakkale, you can lose yourself in the charming ancient ruins or simply spend peaceful moments on the nearby islands.
There has been evidence of a settlement in the Çanakkale area since 3000 BC—almost countless ancient cities lined the both banks of the Dardanelles. Due to its strategic location on a major sea passage, the area is rich in history and culture, and was the scene of the Trojan War and the crossings of Xerxes' Persians and Alexander the Great's Macedonians in opposite directions about one century and a half apart.
During World War I, Çanakkale and the adjoining areas on both sides of the Dardanelles were the stage of a year-long battle between the United Kingdom, France and the Ottoman Empire. From April 1915 to January 1916, a joint British and French operation was mounted to capture the Ottoman capital of Constantinople (now Istanbul), with the fieriest conflict taking place on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The attempt failed, but not without heavy casualties on both sides.