Canakkale History

DESCRIPTION

The town, at the time known as Kale-i Sultaniye, tooks its current name Çanakkale either from the fortress, whose appearance was reminiscent of a bowl, or from the pottery for which the town became famous. (Çanak in Turkish means bowl) Çanakkale progressed towards becoming a city up to the 18th century, due to the increasing economic importance of the straits, growing more prosperous as it developed into a port city. As we know that Ottomans, Armenians, Jewish etc. had lived together in Canakkale.

History:

Dardanelles and Hellespont are the ancient names of what is now Çanakkale. Canakkale which is very important settling area, hosted to many civilizations since B.C 3000. Europe and the Mediterranean through the Dardanelles with Anatolia and the Black Sea which provides the connection between the two passages from the area due to being one. Therefore it had many wealthiness and had attracted the attention of many nations.

Çanakkale is a strategic region of Anatolia. That's why it had been invaded on several occasions in the past. The history of Çanakkale region so-called as "Hellespondos" and "Dardanelles" in ancients ages has gone back to about 5000 BC. The Trojan Ruins which is 30 km away from the Çanakkale Centrum is one of the most ancient centers of population. Trojan Ruins that is a cultural center of Anatolia nearly 2000 years has 9 layers. The region includes important archaeolical sites such a Troy, Neandreia, Alexandria-Troas, Assos , Chryse, Dardanos and lampsakos.

When Achaean(Akhailılar) troops did not capture Trojan Castle around 1200 BC, they went on board their ships but they left a great wooden horse at the edge of the castle. When the Trojans who took the horse inner part of a fortress arranged victory festivals, Achaeans who were kept in a horse opened doors of the fortress and they attacked with other soldiers who were in the ships and they captured the city. The Spartans after Achaeans, Persians in 5 BC and then the Great the king of Macedon captured this region in 4 BC. After all The Roman Empire dominated the region. However when the Roman Empire was divided into two different empires in 395 AD, this region remained in the Eastern Roman Empire. The Islam troops with their strong fleet passing the Dardanelles besieged Istanbul in 668,672 and 717 AD and Italian republics dominated this region in common. After Malazgirt Victory in 1071, the Selçuk Turks went down to Çanakkale but they could not capture the dardanelles entirely. When the Crusader troops occupied Iznik at the Crusaders in 1097, the Selçuk Turks retreated inwards from the coast of Sea of command of Emir Mohammed also went down to Çanakkale but they retreated because of the Second Crusade.

Karesioğulları Who was independent breaking with the Selçuk Sultanate of Rum captured Çanakkale definitely in 14th century. Karesioğulları adhered to the Ottoman Empire in the Orhan Gazi's reign. The Turks marched on Europe passing Çanakkale. Gelibolu was conquerred Prince Suleyman Pasha. In the reign of Murat I the Ottomans captured entire coast of the Dardanelles after 1362. The Sultan of Ottoman Empire Fatih Sultan Mehmet established and built up Çanakkale city in the 15th century. The city continued its development as its geographic condition after Fatih's reign. In the I. World War the fleets of English, French and Russians attacked passing the Dardanelles in order to capture Istanbul and open the Straits way for Russia, and bloody wars occurred in Seddülbahir, Arıburnu, Morto Koyu, Alçıtepe, Kanlısırt, Conk Bayırı, Kabatepe, Kocaçimen, and Anafartalar. Turkish Soldiers under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk enabled that the Allies retreated from the region in 1915 writing a heroic tale, and the Allies accepted that " Çanakkale must not be passed."