Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Discover Gallipoli & the North Aegean
At a Glance
»
Gallipoli Peninsula
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WWI battlefields, cemeteries and memorials over-
looking the Dardanelles.
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Çanakkale
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Lively student town with more military history and an old
Ottoman quarter.
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Ayvalık
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) Aegean coast and a gloriously tumbledown old Greek section.
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Bergama (Pergamum)
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Hilltop classical ruins.
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İzmir
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Coastal city with a modern bazaar.
Gallipoli (Gelibolu) Peninsula
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For a millennium, the slender peninsula that forms the northwestern side of the Dardanelles
has been the key to İstanbul: any navy that could break through the strait had a good
chance of capturing the capital of the Eastern European world. Many fleets have tried to
force open the strait, but most, including the mighty Allied fleet mustered in WWI, have
failed.
Today the Gallipoli battlefields are peaceful places, covered in brush and pine forests.
But the battles fought here nearly a century ago are still alive in the memories of many,
both Turkish and foreign, and especially among Australians and New Zealanders, who
view the peninsula as a place of pilgrimage. The Turkish officer responsible for the defence
of Gallipoli was Mustafa Kemal - the future Atatürk - and the Turkish victory is commem-
orated in Turkey on 18 March.
On Anzac Day (25 April), a dawn service marks the anniversary of the Allied landings,
attracting thousands of travellers from Down Under and beyond. In recent years an increas-
ing number of Turkish visitors are being bussed in by municipal councils to better under-
stand the Turkish side of the story.
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