This reconstructed wooden horse is Troy's most interesting site

Given the legendary role Troy has played in history and literature, its ancient ruins come as quite a disappointment.

Still, having shot to fame in Homer's Iliad as the setting for the decade-long Trojan War in the 13th century BC, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is rarely bereft of sightseers.

There was no proof of Troy's existence until it was excavated in the 1870s by German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, the man also behind ancient Mycenae in Greece.

The mish-mash of archaeological ruins on show at Troy today include the remnants of nine successive cities built on this site since 3000BC: defense fortifications, a temple altar, a Roman theatre, houses, a sanctuary and the supposed palace of King Priam.

The rather kitsch reconstructed wooden Trojan Horse displayed on site is meant to demonstrate how the Greeks hid before infiltrating the city to recapture King Menelaus of Sparta's wife, Helen.

Excavations atTroy remain ongoing so watch this space as Troy's buried secrets and treasures reveal themselves.

Troy lies about 30 minutes by bus from Canakkale on the Aegean Coast and about five hours by bus from Istanbul.