TravelTips24 : Europe : Turkey : Aegean Turkey : Izmir
Izmir
Izmir is a rapidly growing modern town in Turkey.
Culture and History
İzmir is the third biggest city in Turkey with a population of around 3.7 million, the second biggest port after Istanbul, and a very good transport hub. Once the ancient city of Smyrna, it is now a modern, developed, and busy commercial center, set around a huge bay and surrounded by mountains. The broad boulevards, glass-fronted buildings and modern shopping centers are dotted with traditional red-tiled roofs, the 18th century market, and old mosques and churches, although the city has an atmosphere more of Mediterranean Europe than traditional Turkey.
History
The history of Izmir stretches back to around 3000 BC when the Trojans founded the city in Tepekule in the northern suburb of Bayrakli. This was the birthplace of Homer, who was thought to have lived here around the 8th century BC. The Aeolians, the first greek settlers, were eventually taken over by the (also greek) Ionians, and then the Lydians destroyed the city around 600BC before a brief recovery following Alexander the Great’s arrival in 334 BC.
After his death, Alexander’s generals followed his wishes and re-established Smyrna on Mount Pagos in Kadifekale, and the city then prospered under the Romans. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 178 AD but later reconstructed and became a major commercial port. After the Byzantines, the city had a turbulent time under the Arabs, Seljuks, Crusaders and Mongols, until Mehmet I incorporated it into the Ottoman Empire in 1415. Under Suleyman the Magnificent, Smyrna became a thriving and sophisticated city and a huge trading center, despite its frequent earthquakes. It was cosmopolitan, with mainly Greek Orthodox and also Jews and Muslims, and many languages were spoken amongst locals and visiting traders.
Following World War I and the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, on the basis of the huge greek-speaking population of the area, Greece was granted a mandate over Izmir from the Allies and so Greece took control of the whole Aegean Area. Led by Kemal Ataturk the turkish army launched a counter-attack and seized the city, burning 70% of it and killing thousands of greeks, thus ending the multinational era of the city. Ataturk formally took Izmir on 9 September 1922 which is celebrated as the day of victory in Izmir.
Travel to Izmir & Visa Requirements
By Rail
Izmir has two railway stations: Basmane in the city center is the major terminal for intercity trains, and Alsancak in the north is mainly a commuter and local route.
The main intercity services include: Ankara (Mavi Tren is the fastest at 14 hours), Denizli (3 express trains daily, 5-6 hours) and Isparta (9 hours). Trains for Istanbul connect with a ferry at Bandirma.
Basmane Station Tel: (0232) 484 8638 Alsancak Station Tel: (0232) 458 3131
By Sea
There is a weekly ferry from Istanbul-Izmir (19 hours), operating at weekends, and one or two weekly ferries between Izmir and Venice (67 hours). All ferries dock at the Alsancak Ferry Terminal, 2km north of the city center.
Alsansak Yeni Liman (terminal) Tel: + 90(0232) 464 8864 / 89. Fax: 464 7834.
By Air
Adnan Menderes Airport, 16km south of the city center, has several daily flights to Istanbul, Ankara and Antalya. There are also regular flights from many European cities. Airport buses meet incoming flights and go to and from the city center for 10 lira (be sure to get off the bus in the centre of town, as the bus continues north to Tersana) and there are hourly trains to Alsancak Station.
Airport Tel
Ask for advice at the Izmir travel forum
This page was last edited at 18:51, on 19 December 2008 by Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. Based on work by Devlen, Valtteri Päivinen and Nick Roux, Wikitravel user(s) Smyrna, Sicklyman, Texugo, Vidimian and Jonboy, Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel and others.
Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license
