İzmir, lies on a beautiful gulf on the Aegean Sea. It is Turkey’s third largest city and after Istanbul, it’s most important port. This vibrant, modern coastal city once known as Smyrna is home to almost three million people. It has a beautiful hot climate and is enveloped by huge mountain ranges. This is a city thriving in prosperity with plenty of foreign investment in industry and a skilled and well paid middle class of young professionals. It is a city with much in the way of arts and culture playing host as it does to the International Arts Festival each summer. Getting There
İzmir’s Adnan Menderes Airport, 16 km away from the city centre, attracts lots of scheduled and charter flights from international carriers and airlines running domestic routes. The transit system links the airport with the heart of the city, but there are also two railway stations: Basmane in the centre serves as the main terminal with plenty of intercity trains arriving and departing here, whilst Alsancak at the northerly edge of the city serves commuters and local routes. If train travel is not for you hen you can catch a ferry to wither Istanbul or Venice in Italy. The journey times however are very long with Istanbul taking 19 hours and Venice a tiring 67. Within the city you can get around via taxi or dolmus although you may be able to walk around all of the sites without the need for transport.A Dip Back in Time
Izmir is one of the oldest communities within the Mediterranean basin.It’s history began in prehistoric times around 6,000 BC and many artifacts from this era were recently discovered by archaeologists. In around 3, 000 BC the Trojans established a settlement here and the famous Greek poet Homer was born here around the 8th century. Many early tribes inhabited the city after the demise of the Trojans and each left their mark. The Ionians came to rule the city and they were subsequently ousted by the Lydians who obliterated it in 600BC. Alexander the Great captured it in 334 BC and it began to prosper. When he died, his generals carried out his orders to build the city on Mount Pagos in Kadifekale. The city now known as Smyrna flourished especially under Roman rule, but in 178 AD an earthquake, one of many in this region, shattered most of the buildings here. The city was rebuilt and became a key harbour. When Byzantine rule came to an end numerous other dynasties and Empires took over the city including the Arabs, Seljuks, Crusaders and Mongols. In 1415 it became part of the Ottoman Empire under Mehmet I 1415. Suleyman the Magnificent, ensured that during his reign Smyrna became a prosperous and stylish city with good foreign trade links.
After Turkey’s defeat in the First World War, Izmir was handed over to Greece on the basis that many of the local population spoke Greek. An army of soldiers lead by Kemal Ataturk attacked the Greeks and captured the city, but with such fierce fighting most of the city was destroyed by fire. Many of the city’s Greek speakers left for the neighbouring Greek Islands once the Greek army pulled out of the city and the remainder left in 1923 as part of the Lausane Treaty, which set the agreement for the exchange of Greek and Turkish people. The city finally joined the Republic of Turkey in September 1922.
Entertainment
A city with a modern air about it, Izmir has many great restaurants, bars, cafes and clubs with accommodation to boot to suit all manner of price ranges. If you are fortunate enough to spend time here, try the locally grown, fresh melons, and the regional kebab speciality, the shish kebab. Izmir’s location on the Aegean Sea also means that there are plenty of good restaurants offering tasty fish dishes throughout the year. Some of the best places to eat are the Biz Bize, which is renowned for its great tasting kebabs and soup, Bolulu Hasan Usta a must for all dessert lovers, La Sera, which offers good all round food especially the fish, Café Reci for its great salads, Kemal'ın Yeri a restaurant perfect for a special celebration because it is expensive but does serve superb seafood. If you are looking for a restaurant with magnificent views over the gulf then head for the Pagos Café near the castle. There are plenty of hotels too, with the best accommodation being found in the Hilton and the Swissotel both located near the centre in in Alsancak. Çankaya and Akinci are the best places for budget accommodation. Recommended is Hotel Zeybek, the Nil Otel, the Ova and the Güzel İzmir.
