Parion lies at Kemer village in the Biga district of Çanakkale. It came under Greek rule when Alexander defeated the Persians, then passed to the kingdom of Pergamon and afterwards to Rome, and in the Byzantine period it was an important bishopric.
How the site was identified is part of its interest. Silver, bronze and copper coins found here, dated between the fifth century BC and the end of the third century AD, generally carry the head of a gorgon together with the letters ARI, standing for Parion, and it was from that lettering that the place was established as Parion. Excavation has been under way at Kemer since 2005 and has brought to light an imposing theatre, a Roman villa and an odeon — buildings that show how wealthy the city was.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Çanakkale as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from 6.4 °C in January to 25.2 °C in August; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in May, June, September and October; rainfall is heaviest in December (105 mm) and lightest in August (11 mm). Long-term means for 1929-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
