Eceabat
Eceabat, formerly Maydos (Madytos, ), is a small town in Çanakkale Province in the Marmara Region of Turkey, located on the eastern shore of the Gelibolu Peninsula, on the Dardanelles Strait. It is the seat of Eceabat District. Its population is 5,636 (2021). The town lies at sea level. It is an almost entirely modern town. Eceabat is the departure point for the annual swim across the Hellespont to Çanakkale on the other side of the Dardanelles Strait. Eceabat is the nearest town to the World War I Gallipoli Campaign battlefield sites, as well as to the cemeteries and memorials to the more than 120,000 Turkish, British, French, Australia ad New Zealand soldiers killed during the campaign. This has led to its becoming a major tourism centre, especially around 18 March and 15 April (ANZAC Day) when the two different sides of the struggle commemorate their roles in what happened. Name Eceabat's name might have originated from the Arabic military term "hijabat" which means the most forward command point from the battlefield. If so, the meaning might explain the change from the original Madytos. Attractions Kilisetepe Mound in Eceabat town covers the site of the original Maydos. The Greek Orthodox