Pet Friendly Hotel in Assos, Behramkale

There are those who bark and those who go for the ball:) Playing is much more fun when you have a friend.

 There are those who bark and those who go for the ball:) Playing is much more fun when you have a friend. We were in Kadirga Bay today, only 2 minutes driving from our small hotel. Bring your best friends along: AssosAlarga is a pet friendly hotel in Assos,Behramkale. Our best friend is Gece, yes, he is still a bit afraid of swimming in deep water. Luckily, she has friends to show her the way.

Ottoman Bridge in Assos, Behramkale

If you happen to arrive to Assos, Behramkale from Ayvacık, taking the old road, passing by villages such as Söğütlü and Paşaköy, you will be seeing the Ottoman Bridge in Assos, Behramkale on your left; the old bridge is parallel to the new bridge you will be crossing, so it is difficult to skip it.

 The bridge that is standing still today was built during the 14th century, after Assos went under the reign of the Ottomans. Murat Hudavendıgar Mosque in Assos,Behramkale, is another construction, remaining from that period.

We often go for walks along the banks of Tuzla Stream. If you wish to stay in Assos, Behramkale with your dog, Assos Alarga is a pet friendly hotel in Assos, Behramkale and we would gladly show you the way to the Ottoman Bridge, so you can also enjoy a long walk in the nature. Along the banks of Tuzla Stream today, there are sheep and cow shelters, during this walk in Assos, you can also run into, aquatic turtles, storks and even mustangs...

Ottoman Bridge in Assos

There is a fourteenth century Ottoman Bridge in Assos/Behramkale, remaining with all its splendor up to today. Parallel to it there's a new bridge. They are on the old way arriving from Ayvacik to Assos. This is a curvy romantic narrow road, passing through small villages, the last one Pasakoy offering great views of Assos.

At the end of this ride, one will reach the old bridge, before you cross the bridge there's a left turn, this is not a very inviting turn but once you take it, you will find your self parallel to the river running below. This is a sunset walk in Assos. This is when shepherds bring out their herds, this when you see turtles take a sunbath on rocks and look who else is enjoying the last rays of sun...

Temple of Athena in Assos, Behramkale - Acropolis

Temples are built on the highest points of ancient cities; the name Acropolis comes from Greek, Acro means for “the highest”, and “polis” means city. In a time with no GPS systems, no radar and no binoculars, they were built on the highest point, on top of a hill for safety and defense reasons.

While looking out on the endless Aegean Sea, Lesbos and Mount Ida views from the Acropolis of Assos, one should recall that a temple is built not only for worship  , it is also a status symbol and reflects the society’s culture it once belonged to.

The temple of Athena in Assos was built 238 meters above sea level, between 540-530BC. Short after, due to an earthquake, it was renovated and had major repairs between 520-470BC. It is the only known archaic Doric temple in Asia Minor. It is surrounded by 34 Doric styled columns. It has Doric columns and triglyphs , but also has sculpted friezes. Holding Ionic and Doric features at the same time the temple of Athena in Assos thus resides a unique place in the history of ancient Greek Architecture, it is eclectic and innovative in a time where architectural orders are conservatively followed.

In the construction and later in the repair, a gray volcanic andesite rock, formed by the cooling of lava and softer volcanic rock, formed by the ashes, were used. This type of andesite is quarried right from Assos. Also today all construction within the ancient village of Assos is made from these rocks, including AssosAlarga.

Each ancient Greek temple is dedicated to a specific god or goddess and the temple in Assos is dedicated to Athena. Athena is one of the multitude of children of Zeus, believed to be the warrior goddess, protecting the land against enemies from outside. So it is common in the ancient world to build temples in her name. Turkey alone is home to ten of Athena’s temples. The goddess Athena symbolizes wisdom, humility and intelligence; she is the helper of some well known mythological heroes, like Hercules and ubiquitous in most of the Greek mythology.

She took part in two major competitions. In the contest for beauty she lost out against Aphrodite, thus triggering the Trojan War. But she won as “patron god of Athens” against Poseidon by creating the olive tree as a gift to Cecrops, the first king of Athens.
Unlike churches, Greek temples were not common meeting places for the public; they were dedicated to their gods and goddesses.    They had an inner chamber called the Cella where usually the cult where only temple clerks were allowed to go in. The land surrounding the temples was used for religious ceremonies. Murderers, drunks and people with birth defects weren’t allowed to enter the temple.
During the Hellenistic period, the pavement of the temple was covered with black and white mosaics.

During the Byzantine period the acropolis was surrounded by thick walls, serving primarily as a fortress. The other remains, such as cisterns, storerooms and houses you see in the acropolis aside from the temple, are remains of the Byzantine area.