Turkey Guide
The North Aegean
Assos
Situated on and around the ancient Greek city of the same name, Assos, 25km south of Ayvacık, is a charmingly preserved old village where no new buildings are permitted and old buildings may only be restored using the attractive local stone. Ancient Assos sits on top of a steep rocky hill and spreads down the seaward side towards the Aegean. Modern Assos consists of two parts – the village of Behramkale, which wraps itself around the top of the hill, and the tiny settlement of former warehouses and fishing cottages grouped around the harbour below – but most people, including locals, just refer to it collectively as Assos.
According to some sources, Assos was the site of a thirteenth-century BC Hittite colony, although the earliest traces only really date from the eighth century, when Greek colonists from neighbouring Lesbos (Lésvos) established a settlement, later building a huge temple to Athena in 540 BC. Hermias, a eunuch and disciple of Plato, ruled here, attempting to put Plato's theories of the ideal city-state into practice. From 347 to 344 BC Aristotle made his home in Assos as the guest of Hermias, developing his philosophy further before the arrival of the Persians forced him to flee. Assos was also purportedly the source of much of the wealth of Croesus. During medieval times, the Ottomans plundered the town for dressed stone, as did local villagers.
Dolmuşes from Ayvacık call first at the upper village, dropping passengers in the small square. From here, it's a short (though extremely steep) walk up the hill to the Murat Hüdavendigar Camii, an austere fourteenth-century mosque that probably began as a church, built with stone quarried from the earlier settlement. Beyond is the enclosed site of the sixth-century Temple of Athena (open daylight hours; 5YTL), with Doric columns re-erected by an American university archeological team, and a partially rebuilt antique theatre.
The rest of ancient Assos is a jumble of ruins falling away from the temple, enclosed by the old and partly intact city wall, which is accented with towers and quite impressive. The most recognizable part is the old necropolis, littered with sarcophagi, which can be viewed on the way down from the village to the harbour.
Practicalities
The two cheapest pansiyons – Tekin ( 
0286/721 7099; Price: €14-24) and Sidar ( 0286/721 7047; Price: €14-24) – lie on the road back out of the village, but this is one place where it pays to spend a little more, as accommodation in the upper village is much better value than down around the harbour. By the bridge is the delightfully laid-back 
Old Bridge House Pension ( 0286/721 7426, 
oldbridgehouse@yahoo.com; Price: €32-49), owned by a Turkish– Dutch couple who offer tasteful, if somewhat chaotically decorated, rooms in the house itself, as well as cheaper thatched cabins in the small walled garden, and a small dorm (20YTL). In the village itself, just downhill from the ruins, Timur Restaurant & Pansiyon ( 0286/721 7449, timurpansiyon@yahoo.com; Price: €25-31) has four small double rooms – two with bathrooms – in a beautifully restored 200-year-old house, with a walled garden and restaurant affording superb views over the coastline to Greece. Just around the corner, the Eris Pansiyon ( 0286/721 7080, erispansiyon@hotmail.com; Price: €32-49), owned by a retired American couple, offers local charm and five rooms with views north over the valley. Take the left lane at the square to find the Assos Konukevi ( 0286/721 7081; Price: €25-31), whose high-quality apartments have a large lounge, double bedroom and one single bedroom, superb views and a large walled garden. The Dolunay ( 0286/721 7172; Price: €25-31), next to the dolmuş stop in the centre of the village, is also attractive and comfortable, with an attached restaurant.
For good-value food there are a number of cheap lokantas selling typical village dishes such as mantı and gözleme, washed down with a glass of ayran. The Assos Restaurant, which overlooks the main square, and the Kale Restaurant, on the road leading up to the temple, are both recommended. Pick of the bunch, however, is probably the Timur Restaurant, which provides an unforgettable setting for tasty meals or just a drink.