From the late 17th century onwards it became known for its glazed Çanakkale ceramics, compared by the traveler Richard Pococke to Delftware,[3] hence the later name Çanak Kalesi "Pottery Castle".

[citation needed] Aeolian Greeks settled here in the 8th century BC and quickly established trading colonies.

In 1462, Mehmed II had the Kale-I Sultaniye fortress built on the site now occupied by Çanakkale - it takes it names from the fact that one of the Sultan's sons had collaborated in its construction.

[4] Kale-I Sultaniye was built at the narrowest point of the Dardanelles and, together with the fort of Kilitbahir on the opposite side, provided effective in controlling traffic through the strait.

From the late 15th century onwards, Jewish refugees expelled from Spain settled in Çanakkale and formed a sizeable community which thrived by supplying local shipping with provisions and acting as consular agents for many European nations.

A busy port, it was a stopping point for vessels traveling through the strait, as it had been in the ancient past although the British who passed through described it as lacking good quality accommodation or resources.

[6] In Çanakkale town the old Kale-i Sultaniye is now called Çimenlik Kalesi and is open to the public as a military museum and art gallery.

[8] A late 19th-century clocktower acts as a signpost for the older part of town where narrow streets are filled with bars, cafes and hotels.

The most attractive part of town in the evenings is the wide waterfront promenade where the wooden horse created for the film Troy starring Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom can be seen.

[citation needed] Regular ferries pass back and forth between Çanakkale and Kilitbahir where the second castle that was built to guard the Dardanelles is open to visitors.

[8] In summer it is also easy to reach Gökçeada -one of two inhabited Aegean islands that belong to Turkey- by ferry from Çanakkale.

[3] Çanakkale has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa or Trewartha: Cs) with hot, dry summers and cool, humid winters.

Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University has 12 faculties, four institutes, nine four-year college programs and 14 vocational schools and serves more than 52,000 students.