Travel Guide Assos - Behramkale

At 235 m above the Aegean Sea, the site of Assos is spectacular and it also has the chance to benefit from a relative tranquility, in a preserved nature, a little behind the tourist circuits. Founded by settlers from Lesbos in the 8th century BC, Assos is rich in history. In ancient times it was a prosperous city. In 560 BC, the city was occupied by the Lydians, then by the Persians. After the Medieval Wars, and until 405 B.C., Assos remained under the control of Athens. Hermias, tyrant of the city, tried to put into practice the theories of his master Plato and founded a philosophical academy which welcomed Aristotle in 348-345 BC. According to the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul and St. Luke stayed in the city in 58, before going to Lesbos. During the Byzantine period, Assos had a great strategic importance. On the walls of the city, you can see the traces of the towers from which the passage of the ships was watched. On the hill, dressed in all shades of green, the view of the blue waters of the North Aegean and the island of Lesbos in the distance is spectacular. In the middle of the olive groves stand the ruins of the Doric temple of Athena. The village where the site of Assos is located is called Behramkale. And the present city is made up of two parts. The road from Ayvacık arrives in front of the village installed on the side of a hill and near the archaeological site that made its fame. Continuing along the road (and its magnificent view) and skirting part of the ruins, you arrive at the terminus, a charming little port below the hill and opposite the Greek island of Lesbos. On the narrow strip, several pensions and hotels, mostly in grey stone, a regional peculiarity. The inhabitants are very welcoming. Mostly attached to the hotels, the restaurants are specialized in fish, especially sea bream (often farmed, which is rarely specified).