"Picture-postcard beautiful" is one of those clichéd descriptions that is frequently abused to describe situations where the postcard would have to have been at least 50 years old for it to have had any meaning.



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In the case of tiny little Assos on the North Aegean coast, however, it's absolutely accurate, if only because what most people think of as Assos consists of no more than a handful of lovely stone houses lined up along a harbor with no room left over for anyone to build anything ugly. In actual fact "Assos" is the commonly used name for a settlement that also encompasses the more modern village of Behramkale high above it on the hill. But there too development has been gentle, and today most of the little stone houses of the village melt gently into the slopes as if they had been there forever.

Quite a lot still remains of the original settlement of Assos, which was founded in the eighth century B.C. by colonists from the nearby island of Lesbos (Midilli). The single most striking reminder of the settlers is the Temple of Athena, which bestrides the cliff top. A simple Doric temple built out of volcanic andesite in 530 B.C., it once boasted a decorative frieze that is now housed in the Ä°stanbul Archeology Museum. Today there's not a great deal to see at the site -- a few columns, the slight remains of a theater -- but the view out towards Lesbos is nothing short of superb.

For most people, that is all of ancient Assos that gets noticed as they speed down to the harbor in their cars. If you take the trouble to walk, however, there's a lot more to see on the way down. Most obviously you can hardly help but notice the remains of the old city walls that were built in the city's fourth-century B.C. heyday when Assos was ruled by Hermeias, a eunuch philosopher-king who had studied under Plato in Athens and invited a succession of fellow philosophers, including Aristotle, to come and spend time with him in what was then Asia Minor. Aristotle enjoyed the break so much that he ended up marrying Hermeias' niece. However, this brief interlude of peace and prosperity was rudely interrupted when the Persians descended on Assos and put Hermeias to death, by crucifixion allegedly.

As you wander down the hill you will pass what used to be the necropolis (cemetery) of the ancient city. Here there were once many examples of the type of stone sarcophagus for which Assos was famous. According to the Roman writer Pliny, they were made from a stone containing a caustic substance that completely consumed a human body in 40 days, hence the name "sarcophagus," which literally meant "flesh eater."

Roughly halfway down the hill a gate permits access to the ruins of ancient Assos. The most conspicuous structure is a theater which dates back to the third century B.C. and which would have allowed its patrons to enjoy a panoramic view out to sea while they lapped up the entertainment. Other ruined structures in the vicinity include an agora (marketplace) and a stoa (colonnaded walkway), but they are far less easy for a layperson to interpret.

Although it had once been a city important enough for St. Paul to visit it on his third missionary journey, Assos never recovered its early vibrancy and slid into a steady decline from which it only really recovered in the last 10 years. From the long centuries of the Middle Ages and early Ottoman times, only two structures survive to tell the story. One is a graceful humpbacked bridge that can be seen to the left of the road as you drive in from Ayvacık. The other is the lovely early Ottoman Hüdavendigar mosque, which sits in the lee of the Temple of Athena. Unfortunately it's no longer in use and access to it is fitful. Most visitors only get to examine the portico from which it's clear that the mosque must have been built using materials salvaged from a much earlier Byzantine church.

But the real highlight of a visit to Assos lies down in that picture-postcard harbor where the half-dozen stone buildings that must once have housed warehouses were all converted into hotels in the 1980s. What this means is that, although they occupy one of the finest locations in all of Turkey, they generally suffer from having been designed before the era of the boutique hotel and some of the rooms can look quite shabby in comparison with what is on offer elsewhere. No matter -- if you can land a room with a harbor view, what more could you possibly ask for? The virtually obligatory half-board arrangements can be a tad irritating, but, to be fair, there's not a lot else in the way of fine dining nearby.

Assos is the perfect place to come for a quiet break out of season (in high season it can be overrun with coach tours, and prices will seem extortionate). You may assume that you will have exhausted its charms in the space of a day or so, especially as the intermittent ferry service to Lesbos is currently suspended. However, if you come with a car there are plenty of other places to visit in the vicinity. The most obvious is Ayvacık, the small local town from which dolmuÅŸ services run to Assos. It's worth coming here on a Friday to visit the market, which is frequented by descendants of Türkmen nomads who come to do their shopping dressed in long satin overcoats. Anyone with an interest in carpets might also like to head two kilometers out of town to visit the DOBAG (DoÄŸal Boya Arıştırma ve GeliÅŸtirme -- Natural Dye Research and Development) project. This was set up by Harold and Renate Bohmer, a German couple who had been teaching in Turkey in the 1960s and was alarmed to see the age-old tradition of making natural dyes to color kilims fading away. Today the project is run as a women's cooperative and most of its products are exported. It's not a place to come in search of a bargain, but its arrival did represent a milestone in the production of quality newly made kilims.

Alternatively you can drive out via Gülpınar to Babakale where the remains of a newly restored and enormous Ottoman castle overlook a small beach. Gülpınar is home to the remains of the second-century B.C. Temple of Apollo Smintheion, once the focal point of ancient Khrysa. This had been founded by colonists from Crete who had been told by an oracle to settle where "the sons of the earth" attacked them. After a night spent being bothered by mice, they put down roots here and set up the temple in honor of Apollo, Lord of the Mice. There's not a great deal left to see of it, but do try and get the custodian to open the excavations hut which houses fine friezes showing scenes from "The Iliad."

WHERE TO STAY: Hotel Nazlıhan: (286) 721 7385

Assos Konuk Evi, Behramkale: (286) 721 7081

Biber Evi, Behramkale: (286) 721 7410

EriÅŸ Pansiyon, Behramkale: (286) 721 7080

Hotel Assos Deluxe, Assos: (286) 721 7017

Hotel Assos Kervansaray, Assos: (286) 721 7093

HOW TO GET THERE: There are regular bus services to Ayvacık from Çanakkale after which you'll need a dolmuÅŸ to

Behramkale. Local buses also connect Behramkale with Gülpınar, Babakale and Küçükkuyu. Finding a dolmuÅŸ down to Assos harbor except in high season is likely to prove tricky.