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Canakkale Municipality has begun using a Trojan Horse figure on traffic lights in the city’s shopping mall area—after a proposal first floated by Troy Museum over a year ago drew quick support from the mayor.
The motif nods to the famous ruse told in Homer’s Odyssey, bringing the legend to everyday life nearly 2,700 years on.
The discussions for the inclusion of the famous Trojan horse figure in traffic lights began in the summer of 2024 when Troy Museum, at the request of its then director Ridvan Golcuk, presented the idea to the public in a social media post.
The post framed the idea as part of the city's branding, noting that every city seeks a distinctive identity and profile in people’s minds. It drew a comparison with Berlin’s hat-wearing “Ampelmannchen,” the pedestrian symbol from the former East Germany widely seen on traffic lights in the German capital.
Right after the post, Canakkale Mayor Muharrem Erkek weighed in on social media and said, “Why not? We will govern together.” So, the proposal moved forward.
Artist Halil Altindere then prepared a demo for the light design, which the museum set up on its ground floor. Building on that trial, the municipality implemented the first application in one of the city’s busiest spots, the shopping mall area.
Officials said the move aims to add visual richness and raise historical awareness by tying everyday traffic signals to one of Canakkale’s best-known symbols.
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