Çanakkale formerly known in English as Dardanelles is a city and seaport in Turkey on the southern shore of the Dardanelles at their narrowest point.t’s a gateway to the Gallipoli WWI battlefields, north of the narrow strait. On the grounds of the 15th-century Çimenlik Castle, Çanakkale Naval Museum Command contains historical artillery. The archaeological site at Troy is southwest of the city.