It was one of the most important battles of Alexander the Great; its location was found.

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In Çanakkale, the area where the Battle of Granikos, one of the significant battles of Alexander the Great, took place has been identified.

WORK BEGAN 20 YEARS AGO

Prof. Dr. Reyhan Körpe, a faculty member of the Department of History at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University (ÇOMÜ), started working 20 years ago to find the Granikos Battlefield, which had been sought for 150 years. During this time, Prof. Dr. Körpe conducted surface surveys in the Biga district and its surroundings. In this year's studies, Prof. Dr. Körpe identified the area where the 'Battle of Granikos' took place approximately 2,400 years ago. Efforts have been initiated to promote the area for tourism and to turn it into a cultural route.

"WE HAVE REACHED VERY IMPORTANT FINDINGS"

At a meeting organized by the Çanakkale Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism regarding the subject, Prof. Dr. Körpe provided information about the project to the relevant mayors and district governors. Stating that one of the most important battles of Alexander the Great took place in Çanakkale, Prof. Dr. Körpe said, "This battle occurred near the river known in ancient times as the 'Granikos River,' which runs through the middle of the Biga Plain, approximately 100 kilometers east of Çanakkale today. This battle is the most important battle of Alexander the Great. Because after this battle, Alexander set out from here to conquer Western Anatolia and then all of Asia up to India.

His success in this battle has been a significant turning point not only for Alexander but also for world history. There has been a study related to the Granikos Battlefield that we initiated about 20 years ago. Additionally, in the last 3 years, efforts and research to locate the battlefield have continued. Most recently, this year, we reached very important findings regarding the exact location of this battlefield. Among these, the most significant was identifying the routes that Alexander took when he arrived at this battlefield and where he camped," he stated.

"WE HAVE IDENTIFIED IT AS A CULTURAL ROUTE"

Prof. Dr. Körpe continued his remarks: "So far, we have identified the route that has been sought for approximately 150 years and the ancient settlement area. We found out which route Alexander took to reach the Battle of Granikos. In our research in the region, by reading and interpreting ancient sources very carefully, we determined approximately where the battle took place, between which villages, and exactly where in the plain it was located.

"THIS ROUTE WILL ALSO BE DISCUSSED AS A CULTURAL ROUTE"

With the presentation we made here, we identified not only the battle and our findings in the battlefield but also, most importantly, the routes that Alexander took during his campaign from Çanakkale to Biga as a cultural route. In this session, supported by the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, we precisely identified the route that Alexander started from the plain of Özbek village, right next to Çanakkale, then moved eastward through Umurbey, Lapseki, and crossed the mountains to descend into the Biga Plain, reaching the Granikos River. This route will also be discussed as a cultural route.