Trojan Horse, Çanakkale

Overview

On the waterfront of Çanakkale stands a giant dark horse that began life on a film set. It is the horse used in Troy, the 2004 film inspired by the Trojan War, and the film's makers gave it to the city after shooting. Today the Trojan Horse in Çanakkale stands on the waterfront as a photo stop, while the real ruins of Troy lie 30 kilometers (19 miles) away.

The Trojan Horse on the Çanakkale waterfront

The horse stands on the Kordon, the promenade along the Dardanelles. It weighs about 12 tons. The Kordon itself runs from the Public Garden to the Necip Paşa Mosque, so the horse is easy to reach on a walk through the center.

Quick facts

• Good for: a photo stop, film fans, a walk on the waterfront
• Best combined with: Troy, the Troy Museum, the old town of Çanakkale

Where the Trojan Horse Came From

A gift from the film Troy

The horse is a film prop. It was built for Troy, which retold the story of the Trojan War on screen in 2004. After filming, the makers gave it to the city, and it has stood on the waterfront ever since. So it is modern, and it makes no claim to be ancient.

Two horses, one story

The province actually has two Trojan horses. The other one stands at the ancient site of Troy itself. Turkish artist İzzet Senemoğlu made that horse in 1975, long before the film. Both end up in visitors' souvenir photos.

The Legend Behind the Trojan Horse

Homer lived in Ionia, in western Anatolia, in the 8th century BC. His Iliad covers the tenth year of the siege of Troy. Yet it ends before the city falls, so the horse belongs to the wider story.

In that story, the Achaeans pretend to sail away, but they hide their best warriors inside a wooden horse. Although the priest Laocoön warns them, the Trojans drag the horse into the city as an offering to Athena. At night, the warriors climb out. Then they signal the returning fleet with fire and open the city gate. The horse also appears on a small Corinthian flask, an aryballos, found at Cerveteri in Italy and dated to about 560 BC.

Visiting the Trojan Horse in Çanakkale

On the Kordon

The horse stands in the open on the public promenade, so there is no gate and no ticket. Your walk can take in Clock Tower Square, the busiest part of town. It also passes Çimenlik Castle, built in 1462 as Kale-i Sultaniye. Ferries to Eceabat, on the Gallipoli side, also leave from the town.

Combining it with Troy

Troy lies 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Çanakkale, and it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1998. Its nine layers of settlement span more than 3,000 years without a break. At the entrance to the site, the Troy Museum opened on October 10, 2018. So a day can start with the ruins and the museum and end with the film horse in town. For the wider province, see our Çanakkale guide.

Updated: October 26, 2026.

Seeing the Trojan Horse with Us

Would you like a photo with the horse on your way back from Troy? Our Troy day trip from Istanbul ends with a stop at the horse on the Çanakkale waterfront. On our two-day Gallipoli and Troy tour, you see it alongside the battlefields of Gallipoli and the ruins of Troy. The horse waits on the Kordon at the end of the Troy day; give us your date and we will save time for the photo.