ASSOS - BEHRAMKALE

Twenty-six kilometres to the east of Gülpınar is Assos/Behramkale. The Assos wharf is surrounded with old warehouses that have been restored and converted into boutique hotels and there are many good fish restau-rants, all in an area as small as the palm of the hand. This region for years has been a leader in tourism. This port in fact was here for many years back and is little changed. Until the 1950s it served to export as raw materials for industry, including a type of oak tree called quercus.
According to researchers iron was also exported from here in ancient times.

The ancient city of Assos
The city is located on a volcanic conical hill. It used to descend towards the south facing the sea in a series of terraces. The village today is in the north. When migrants came to the region in olden times they did not build any settlement on the southern slopes. This was in order to protect the settlement from pirates. However, in ancient times the city faced the sea and caught the sea breeze off the Aegean. The ancient city was surrounded by a four kilometre long wall, some of which has been destroyed. It is known that the city had been surrounded by walls since 600 BC. The latest walls to be constructed have been dated to the 4th century AD. These walls were restored and used in the Roman period. Today, most of them are still standing.
The stone used in the building of the city is very solid but hard to work and was referred to by ancient writers as "the human eating stone". This stone, although hard to work but long lasting, was among the exports of Assos. They used to sell sarcophagi made from this stone. Researchers say that the value of the sarcophagi came from the alum content in the stone. At the time the trade of alum was important and lucrative.

The Western Necropolis (cemetery)
The first excavation on the site started in 1981, with work beginning in the necropolis. The cemetery was used from the 7th century BC to the 2nd century AD, the site being a cemetery for 900 years.
The oldest burials were conducted after the dead body was cremated and the ashes placed in a pottery jar that was sealed with lead and then buried. Later burials showed the body was placed in larger pottery jar in a foetal position as if it were a baby is its mother's womb. In keeping with a belief of the time the top was sealed with a piece of stone to ensure the dead person did not to return. If the corpse was a male, in case he rose from the dead his wife would wear a veil in order not to be recognised.
Professor Dr. Ümit Serdaroğlu, who leads the excavations here and who assisted in this section of the book, said that at the root of women wearing a tull (veil) in western funerals lies in the beliefs of this period.
In many cases, gifts placed into large pottery jars that were then buried. This practice provoked the interest of many treasure hunters in Turkey, resulting in the digging up of cemeteries and many stories related to the finding of a pot full of gold.
The later grave types at Assos are the sarcophagi. Treasure hunters stole all that were inside the sarcophagi that were close to the surface. But in sarcophagi that were at lower levels the remains and offerings given to the dead were found.
The most valuable discovery to date has been a fired clay statuette of a female choir. There are no similar examples to this one in any museum.

The Acropolis (the upper city)
At the highest point of the city there is a temple to the goddess Athena, built around 525 BC. This is the first and only temple in the Doric style that was built in Anatolia in the Archaic Era. The standing columns we see today were not there when the city was found. From the columns that were recovered in the excavation, original moulds were made and the columns were made accordingly, The ones we see standing today are those produced later. Some the friezes above the columns were taken to the Boston Museum in 1881, while others were taken to the Louvre Museum and some pieces are the İstanbul Archaeology Museum. In the friezes a myth related to ancient hero Heracles is depicted.
A second religious site that was uncovered was a Byzantine Basilica of the 4th century AD)

The Agora
The agora is on the southern sloped terrace and its northern stoas are of two stories while the southern one is of four. In the centre there is a temple devoted to the goddess Athena.
During excavations during 2002 6th century houses were found on the site.

The Theatre
The theatre that archaeologists have worked on since 1985 was demolished and suffered from numerous earthquakes throughout history. Its fallen walls were repeatedly rebuilt. When in its prime it had a seating capacity of 4,000.
Once upon a time the theatre was seen as a stone quarry and its stones were taken away. It had vaults on both sides, on one of them new stones have been laid, reproducing the effect. A 2000 years old street that has not been spoiled next to the building has been unearthed.

The housing areas
In the excavations carried out in the residential area in the south west a Christian district was discovered and ceramic pieces dated to the 6th century AD were found. In another house a cistern from the same era was unearthed. Other cisterns found on the site from that same era indicate that the city suffered from a water shortage at the time. The water problem continues today.
It is known that in ancient time water was carried from Mount Ida by a pipeline, as mentioned earlier.

Ayazma Tepe (Spring Mouth Hill)
Another area that was excavated in 2002 was Ayazma Tepe. Very orderly terraces and a rectangular shaped large edifice are signs of a great Christian centre.
The settlement just beyond the acropolis dates back to the Bronze Age. Settlements from later periods were located in the same area.

The Assos Wharf
After you visit the ancient city go down the steep road, closed to vehicles in the summer, towards the port. However, out of the peak season you can take your car and park it at the entrance of the port. Anyway, there is no need for a car in here. It is a tiny area and has very narrow streets.
There used to be two breakwaters in the port of the city. Today, one that has been restored is being used. In the port area most of the stone buildings now being used as motels and hotels date from the last century.
The main cause for this region so valuable was the ban on constructing new buildings. The public fountain still in use is from the Roman period.
Assos is a place one can visit throughout the year, though it is not so crowded in the winter. However, winter or summer, it never turns into a noisy place. This is due to the peaceful atmosphere created by both those who deal in tourism and those who frequent Assos.

Philosophy by the sea
One of the interesting characteristics of the city is that after 500 AD it was in a way of privatised, with a wealthy banker Euboulos came to the ruling of the city.
The next ruler of the city was his freed slave and heir Hermias. Hermias had been schooled in philosophy, having been a student of Plato and a friend of the founder of the science of logic, Aristotle. At the invitation of Hermias, Aristotle went to Assos and gave lectures for three years. To be frank it is a good location for philosophy classes.
There is another belief that it is also suitable for poetry. When the sun sets in the evening, when you walk towards the foothills of Mount Ida in the morning, when you sit down for nice dinner table with your lover under the moonlight, it is impossible for a poem or a couplet cross to one's mind.
This ancient port has such a different and romantic atmosphere.
Then there are the meals with the fish, octopus, calamari and so many other sea products that are caught every day in the net of the fishing boats in the port, along with the fresh vegetable grown in the nearby gardens and accompanied by olive oil. In order to not put on weight we advise you take long walks through the olive groves.
When you take the Ayvacık road from Behramkale, you cross the 14th century Hüdavendigar Bridge over the Tuzla Stream. This historical bridge is still functioning and standing firm. Its arches are interesting but the current bridge, due to restoration, is somewhat different from the original. However, its arches are original.
The Hüdavendigar Mosque is also a work of the 14th Century. It is built on a top of hill and is a typical structure from the Ottoman period. The entrance gate to the mosque is from the ancient city of Carnellus nearby. The inscription on the gate by the King of Skamantos for the Carnelius Church are not damaged but the arms of the cross on it have been destroyed.
The paintings in the interior of the mosque is not a common practise.