EDREMIT
A town surrounded by nature, just a stone’s throw from the starting point of Aeneas’ long and adventurous journey across the Mediterranean
THE CITY OF EDREMIT
The city of Edremit, located in the Balıkesir Province district in the Aegean region of Turkey, is an important tourist centre known for its history, the natural scenery surrounding it and its curative thermal waters.
It is also known as the olive oil capital of Turkey, due to the vast expanses of olive trees that cover the countryside around the city.
Edremit is an ideal destination for relaxation, nature walks through the mountains and the green spaces of the Kazdağı Millî Parkı and Mount Ida National Park, and for discovering the art and culture that make this place, overlooking the sea, so evocative and inextricably linked to the myth of Aeneas and his long journey across the Mediterranean.
THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF ANTANDROS
The ancient city of Antandros is located a few kilometres away from Edremit.
Ancient historians trace the origins of the settlement back to a wide variety of peoples. The first attempts to locate the site of Antandros date back to Schliemann, the discoverer of the legendary city of Troy, who tried to locate the site by sailing up the Gulf of Edremit, following the hypothetical route taken by Aeneas.
Since 2001, systematic excavation campaigns have been undertaken that have led to the identification of the ancient city of Antandros at the site of Altinoluk, near Edremit.
The finds are kept in the ‘Kuva-yi Milliye’ National Museum in Balıkesir, but the Edremit Municipality intends to set up a museum centre for the Antandros archaeological site and other excavations in the area.
So far, in addition to the necropolis, the archaeological excavations have brought to light a section of the city walls and an extraordinary residential villa from the Roman era, built in the 4th century and used until the 6th-7th century AD, which extends over a spectacular terrace overlooking the sea.
In the story of Virgil’s Aeneid, the Trojan refugees who fled from the burning city of Troy, led by Aeneas, arrive at Antandros, at the foot of Mount Ida, and there build the ships that will take them to Italy, to the coast of Latium.
MOUNT IDA
Mount Ida is the linchpin of many mythological tales, including the legend of Aeneas. It is said that the wooden horse designed by Ulysses, with which the Greeks conquered Troy, was also made from the wood of its trees.
With its National Park status, gained in 1988, it boasts nine hundred different botanical species, including sixty-eight rare ones. Its fauna is also very rich, with large numbers of wild boar, prairie wolves and foxes.
Mount Ida National Park offers opportunities for a variety of outdoor activities such as forest trekking, mountain biking, jeep safaris, horse riding, climbing, swimming in rivers and lakes. There are also many picnic and rest areas.
If you are travelling and want to visit the town of Edremit and its surroundings, the Çanakkale Tourist Guide Association is a great way to discover all the treasures of this area and explore the trails of Mount Ida.
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