A day trip to Troy ruins
#AprilGoodDestinations2025
#Turkey
When you come to Türkiye, the name Troy is hard to ignore. When I was a child, I watched "The Trojan Horse" and was deeply impressed by the big wooden horse full of soldiers. This time I came to the real ruins of Troy, and I was still a little excited.
This is one of the world's cultural heritage sites. The person who actually brought Troy back to the light of day was a German amateur archaeologist named Schliemann. He grew up listening to Homer's epic poems, and when he grew up he actually came to Türkiye to dig soil in pursuit of his dream. He originally wanted to make a fortune by doing business, but ended up switching to excavating ancient monuments. His enthusiasm was certainly admirable, but his methods were a bit crude - in order to find treasures, he excavated the entire site and caused a lot of damage. Although he later dug up the legendary "Treasure of Priam", he did not stay to share it, but ran away with the treasure. Therefore, the evaluation of him by later generations can be said to be polarized. Some people say that he is an archaeological hero, while others think that he is a destroyer of history.
The entire site is divided into nine layers, marked with Roman numerals, extending from the earliest Neolithic period all the way to the Roman period. The most famous Trojan War took place on the seventh floor, or "VII A", but to be honest, the scene mostly looks like a pile of ruins, and it is really hard to imagine what the war was like back then. The more easily identifiable relics include the theater, the bathhouse and some relatively well-preserved city walls. Standing there and looking at the guide map, it seems as if you can hear the echoes of the ancient city.
Tips:
1. If you plan to come here, it is recommended to take a tour guide, otherwise you really won’t understand it just by looking at the stones.
2. Remember to bring sunscreen and water, as there are not many shaded areas on site.
3. This is not a place to "check in for beautiful scenery", but a place suitable for slowly savoring history.