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At first glance, Izmir looks very similar to other modern Turkish metropolises, with a dense collection of unremarkable architecture.
But once Turkey’s most cosmopolitan city, its historic fame can still be found hidden in the streets of Izmir.
Turn the clock back more than a century and you’ll find wealthy Levantine, Greek, Turkish, and Armenian families strolling along Izmir’s waterfront wearing the latest Parisian fashions.
They drank beer imported from Munich and cocktails in elegant bars, and sent their children to church-run schools where they were taught French and Latin.
Izmirians were the epitome of sophistication and elegance, but that lifestyle came to an abrupt end in 1922 when a devastating fire swept through the streets.
Although the current city is spread around the Bay of Izmir, life began in old Smyrna in the Bayrakli district. It was once a village, but now it is in ruins.
According to legend, Alexander the Great was hunting on the slopes of nearby Mount Pagos one day when he stopped for a nap. Two old enemies appeared to him in a dream and asked him to build a city where he would sleep.
As usual, Alexander consulted the oracle Apollo. Apollo, in full real estate agent mode, announced, “The Smyrnians who settle at the foot of the Pagos Hill, near the sacred River Meles, will be four times happier than before.”
As a result, a new urban center was established on top of the mountain in the 4th century BC. Or so they say. Whatever the truth behind the story, Alexander the Great had a huge impact.
The Agora of Smyrna was built on his orders. When completed, it was a four-story building, but only the basement remains. Today, visitors can see rows of elegant stone arches that cast shadows on the ground and highlight the intricate workings of the water system.
The foundation of the cathedral, a type of auditorium, contains niches decorated with graffiti, as well as sculptures and paintings depicting daily life in Rome. A short climb to the open land above offers stunning views of the grasslands that were once bustling with activity and trade.
Izmir was a stop on the Silk Road, but it wasn’t until the 17th century that it really came into its own. Due to the various wars, Smyrna Pier became the safest port for shipping silk from Iran, attracting merchants from all over the world.
The Onassis family traded tobacco, and other rums (known as Turkish-born Greeks) made their fortune selling Smyrna’s famous figs. Two Greek-owned department stores sold everything you could think of, and an international bank also had a branch in town.
Levantine families such as the Witols and Girauds owned factories and mines, and Armenians were admired for their solid work ethics. The Americans established another colony a little inland called Paradise, and the Jews and Turks lived in adjacent areas by the water.
Dozens of languages could be heard around the city at any given time: English, German, and even Hindi.
“With 8,500 years of history, Izmir is one of the oldest settlements in the Levant and Turkey and has hosted many different civilizations throughout history,” says Izmir writer and historian Bülent Senocak. “It’s a must to see the historic buildings in the city center that bear the traces of this multicultural climate, as well as the historic Kemeraltu Bazaar, which was founded before many European cities.”
The bazaar is where it all happened and, as Senokak says, is still worth a visit today. It consists of various inns that once provided accommodation and storage for goods. These are located in small covered streets that are connected to each other.
One of the former inns, Kuzlarashis Hani, was built in 1744 and has since been converted into a souvenir shop, selling beautiful items such as hand-painted pottery and Ottoman-style silver jewelry. A great place to pick up nazar. These blue and white glass beads are believed to ward off evil, and those sold in Izmir are made in the aptly named Nazarköy (village of the evil eye).
Bakr Bedesteni (Copper Bazaar) initially housed the city’s best copper workshops, but later became a place to buy silk. At its peak, dozens of caravans appeared every day. Goods were stored in warehouses or sold to shops in the bazaar, animals were kept in stables on the first floor, and merchants slept in rooms on the second floor.
Although the camel trains no longer come here, the bazaar area is quite crowded. On Kafbesirel Socag Street, Turkish coffee is made the traditional way, using hot coals in long-handled copper cezve coffee pots.
For more history, it’s worth exploring Izmir’s Habla Socak (Synagogue Street). Hidden among the dense storefronts are four synagogues. Of the total 34 locations in the city, there were initially 9 located within the bazaar. The oldest ones were built by Sephardic Jews who were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula during the Inquisition in the 15th century.
Some of the facilities have been in use for more than 300 years, and restoration projects are currently underway to open more of them as museums.
Life in Izmir in the early 20th century was a whirlwind of lavish picnics, boat parties, and lavish dinners for its wealthier residents, but everything changed in September 1922 with the impending Turkish War of Independence. .
The orderly entry of Turkish forces into the city was soon replaced by chaos. The defeated Greek soldiers poured into the city and made their way to the coast, where naval ships waited to take them home.
Turkish-born Greeks from all over Anatolia followed them, fearing reprisal. Within days, thousands of people were stranded on the quay, searching for a way out. A series of fires broke out and continued to burn for several days.
When the last flame went out, little remained of the once vibrant destination known as Smyrna. Many of the buildings that survived the incineration were later demolished after the population exchange in 1923 left them vacant and in disrepair.
Under this agreement, the Rum people were repatriated to Greece, and the Turkish-Greeks migrated to Türkiye. Many Levantine families with European passports and vacation homes elsewhere moved. Few people returned, and the character of the city was fundamentally changed.
But Izmir is resilient. Like a phoenix, the city continues to develop.
Smyrna Key, once the site of ships carrying exotic goods for sale in Europe, has been reborn as the Cordon Boardwalk.
Visitors can walk, jog, or cycle along the shores of the bay from Alsanjac to Konak Meydani, a large square. There are plenty of restaurants to try along the way and several different museums to visit, including one dedicated to the country’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Legend has it that Izmir’s famous Konak Pier was designed in 1890 by Gustave Eiffel, famous for his towers. Probably the work of someone in his company, but the steel structure is very reminiscent of his hands. What started as a customs house is now a shopping center with a stylish restaurant overlooking the ocean.
The highly ornate Abdul Hamid II Clock Tower is the focal point of Konak Square. It was built in 1901 for the Ottoman Sultan and designed by French architect Raymond Charles Perret.
Despite the background, this 82-foot-tall structure is neither Turkish nor French. Pele is influenced by North African and Andalusian architecture, and each of its four levels is lined with columns, decorated capitals, and horseshoe-shaped arches, perfect for Instagram poses.
A little over a mile further south, one of Izmir’s sons has been given his own road. Born in 1921 into a large Jewish family, David Arguete learned to play the guitar and began singing before abandoning his goal of becoming a law clerk.
Calling himself Dario Moreno, he honed his skills performing at Jewish festivals and later achieved national fame. He is best known for his 1962 recording of the song “Ya Mustafa” written by Egyptian composer Mohamed Fawzi.
It was very popular in the 1950s and 1960s, with versions released in Arabic, French, Spanish, and several other languages.
Moreno eventually bought a house on a street named Asansol Sokak, in the city’s more upscale Jewish neighborhood. The name was taken from the Turkish word for elevator.
This street has an actual elevator, built by a Jewish merchant in 1907, that connects it to the upper part of the neighborhood.
During World War I, the building housed a casino, photo gallery, and movie theater. Currently, a cafe, bar and restaurant are open. Visitors can ride their bikes to the top and enjoy the views before or after visiting the traditional houses converted into colorfully painted bars and cafes on Dario Moreno Socau, now called Elevator Street You can.
A day trip to the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, once the commercial center of the Mediterranean, should be high on anyone’s to-do list when visiting Izmir.
Here you can walk through streets used by the ancient Greeks, climb to the top of the Great Theater, marvel at the Library of Celsus, and see the mosaics of what was once an ordinary suburban home when this city was part of the Roman Empire. You can walk past.
Want to know more? Many statues and artifacts found at this site can be seen at the Ephesus Archaeological Museum, and back in Izmir, the Archaeological and Ethnographic Museum houses a marble statue of Androclus, the founder of Ephesus. there is.
