Gallipoli & the North Aegean - Discover Turkey: Experience the Best of Turkey - page 250

Bus
Most buses pick up and drop off at the bus company offices near the harbour. Coming
from İstanbul, hop on a ferry from Yenikapı to Bandırma, and take a bus from there to
Çanakkale ( " 20, 2½ hours, hourly). It's easier than trekking out to İstanbul's otogar.
Regular services to/from Çanakkale include Ankara ( " 45, 10 hours), Ayvalık ( " 25, 3½
hours), Bursa ( " 30, 4½ hours), İstanbul ( " 35, six hours) and İzmir ( " 35, 5½ hours).
Troy (Truva)
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While not the most dramatic ancient site, Troy is testament to the importance of myth to
the human experience. Some imagination is needed to reconstruct the city's former
splendour but a decent guide will bring to life the scene of Homer's Iliad. Troy ( 283
0536; per person " 15; 8.30am-7pm May-mid-Sep, to 5pm mid-Sep-end Apr) is a popular destination
for weekending school parties; try to visit midweek.
The first inhabitants lived here during the early Bronze Age. There were nine success-
ive cities, Troy I to IX, dating from 3000 BC to AD 500. Most archaeologists believe the
Trojan War happened during the existence of Troy VI (1700-1250 BC).
Turkey's new national archaeological and history museum has been commissioned to
be built along the road to Troy.
Slip-Sliding Away in Edirne
Edirne's Tarihi Kırkpınar Yağlı Güreş Festivali (Historic Kırkpınar Oil Wrestling Festival;
www.kirkpinar.com ) is one of the world's oldest and most bizarre sporting events, in which muscular men, naked
except for a pair of heavy leather shorts, coat themselves with olive oil and throw each other around. The three-day
contest takes place annually in late June/early July.
The oleaginous contest's origins go back six and a half centuries to the early Ottoman Empire, when 40 Ottoman
soldiers conquered a Byzantine fortress. The soldiers, all keen wrestlers, celebrated by challenging each other to
bouts. Two were so evenly matched that they fought for days without any clear result, until both of them finally
dropped dead.
Wrestlers, classed by height, age and experience, compete in categories from minik (toddler) to baş (first class),
with dozens of matches happening simultaneously in the Sarayiçi stadium. Bouts are capped at 30 or 40 minutes,
after which they enter 'sudden death' one-fall-wins overtime. Prizes are awarded for gentlemanly conduct and tech-
nique, as well as the coveted and hotly contested başpehlivan (head wrestler) title.