"Granicus" redirects here. For the American rock band of the same name, see Granicus . Biga Çay? or Kocaba? Çay? (Ancient name;Granicus River) is a small water flow in northwestern Turkey. The flow begins at the base of the Mount Ida and trends generally northeasterly to the Sea of Marmara. It is located approximately 50 km to the east of the Çanakkale bo?az? (Çanakkale strait, formerly known as the Dardanelles). The banks of this river near the modern-day town of Biga were the site of the Battle of the Granicus, fought in 334 BC between the Greek army of Alexander the Great against the forces of the Persian Empire under King Darius III. This was Alexander's first victory over the Persians. The river was described as having strong, turbulent current, with steep banks and varying depth. A modern Turkish [LINK: http://www.turkish-media.com/y_h/bhtml/b_1_2.htm] map showin