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For the ancient and medieval city, see Smyrna.

Template:Infobox town TR İzmir (Greek: Σμύρνη) is the third most populous city of Turkey and the country's largest port after İstanbul. It is located on the Aegean Sea near the Gulf of İzmir. It is the capital of İzmir Province. The city of İzmir is composed of 9 metropolitan districts (Balçova, Bornova, Buca, Çiğli, Gaziemir, Güzelbahçe, Karşıyaka, Konak and Narlıdere) and the 2000 population of this urban zone was 2,409,000. (2005 est. 3,500,000).

Name

The name of a locality called Ti-smurna is mentioned in some of the Level II tablets from the Assyrian colony in Kültepe (first half of the 2nd millennium B.C.), with the prefix ti- identifying a proper name, although it is not established with certainty that this name refers to İzmir.[1] Some would see in the city's name a reference to the name of an Amazon called Smirna. The oldest Greek rendering of the city's name we know is the Aeolic Greek Μύῥρα Mýrrha, corresponding to the later Ionian and Attic Σμύρνη Smýrnē, both presumably descendants of a Proto-Greek form *Smúrnā.

Smyrna is the Greek name of the Myrrha commifera shrub, also known as the dindin tree, a plant that produces the aromatic resin called myrrh and is indigenous to the Middle East and northeastern Africa. The Romans took this name over as Smyrna which is the name used in English for the pre-Turkish periods. The name İzmir is the Turkish version of the same name.

History

Ancient age

The city is one of the oldest cities of the Mediterranean basin. Until recently, the original urban site was thought to be established in the 3rd millennium B.C. on a small hill (possibly an island at that time) in the northernmost corner of the gulf's end (in present day Bayraklı, Karşıyaka) making it one of the most advanced cultures in Anatolia of its time (on a par with Troy). But the recent discovery (2004) of two höyük (mound), very close to each other (Yeşilova and Yassıtepe), situated more to south (dotted in red in the image below) in the plain of Bornova, and the findings of the first season of excavations carried out in the Yeşilova Höyük in 2005 by a team of archaeologists from İzmir's Ege University under the direction of Associate Professor Zafer Derin, resets the starting date of the city's history three millenia back in time. Indeed, the mound contains three levels, first of which is a loose tissue of occupation from the late Roman-early Byzantine periods, while the Level 2 bears traces of early to mid-Chalcolithic, and the Level 3 of Neolithic settlements, with continuity. These two levels would have been inhabited, very roughly, between 6500 to 4000 BCE. With the seashore drawing away in time, the place had been transformed into a cemetery (several graves containing artefacts dating, roughly, from 3000 BCE were found[2]).

File:YeşilovaHöyüğü.jpg
The location of Yeşilova-Yassıtepe mounds; source: Ege University.

Possibly in connection with the silt brought by the five torrents that join the sea along the straight coastline of the gulf's end (clockwise, the Bornova, Laka, Manda, Arap and Meles brooks), the settlement known as Myrrha, and that later formed the core of Old Smyrna was founded more to north, on the Bayraklı hill, in the 3rd millennium BCE. The presence of a vineyard of İzmir's Wine and Beer Factory on this hill called Tepekule prevented the urbanization of the site and facilitated the excavations that started in the 1960s by Ekrem Akurgal.

By 1500 BCE, old Smyrna had fallen under the influence of the Central Anatolian Hittite Empire. The Hittites possessed a written language and mentioned several localities in the area in their records.

İzmir from space, June 1996.


However, in 1200s BCE, invasions from the Balkans destroyed Troy VII and Hattusas, the capital of the Central Anatolian Hittite Empire. Central and Western Anatolia fell back into a Dark Age that lasted till the emergence of the Phrygian civilization in the 8th century BCE.

During the Iron Age the houses were small, one roomed buildings. The oldest house that has been unearthed is dated at 925 to 900 BCE. The walls of this well-preserved one-roomed house (2.45 x 4 m) were made of sun-dried bricks and the roof of the house was made of reeds. Around that time, people started to protect the city with thick ramparts made of sun-dried bricks. From then on Smyrna achieved an identity of city-state. A man named Baseleus was most probably in charge of the city. Migrants and bigwigs constituted the noble class. About 1000 lived inside the city walls, with others living in near-by villages, where fields, olive trees, vineyards, and the workshops of potters and stonecutters were located. People generally made their living on agriculture and fishing.

Homer

Greek settlement is attested by the presence of pottery dating from about 1000 BC. According to the Greek historian Herodotus, the city was first established by the Aeolians, but shortly thereafter seized by the Ionians who developed it into one of the world's largest cultural and commercial centers of that period.

Homer, referred to as Melesigenes which means "Child of Meles Brook" is said to have been born in Smyrna. Meles Brook is located within the city of İzmir, still carrying the same name. Aristotle recounts: "Kriteis... gives birth to Homer near Meles Brook and dies after. Maion brings this child up and names him as Melesigenes ("Child of Meles") to emphasize the place where he was born." Six other cities claimed that Homer was their countryman. These cities are Salamis, Argos, Athens, Rhodes, Colophon and Chios, but the main belief is that Homer was born in Ionia. Combined with written evidence, Smyrna and Chios lay the strongest arguments in Homer's claim.

From the 8th century BC

The term Old Smyrna is generally used to describe the urban settlement of Bayraklı Höyük (mound), in order to make a distinction with Smyrna re-built later on the slopes of Mount Pagos (Kadifekale today). The most important sanctuary of Old Smyrna was the Temple of Athena. The most ancient ruins preserved to our day date back to 725-700 BCE

The period in which Old Smyrna had reached its peak was between 650-545 BCE. This period was considered to be the most powerful period of the whole Ionian civilization. Under the leadership of the city of Miletus, Ionian colonies were established in Egypt, Syria, the west coasts of Lebanon, the Marmara region, around the Black Sea and in eastern Greece. The colonies competed amongst themselves and were a match for Greece proper in many areas. Smyrna by this point was no longer a small town, but an urban center that took part in the Mediterranean trade.

One of the most important signs of that period is the widespread use of writing beginning with 650 BC. There are many inscriptions on presentations of the gifts dedicated to the goddess Athena, whose temple dates to 640-580 BC.

The oldest model of a many-roomed-type house of this period was found in ancient Smyrna. Known to be the oldest house having so many rooms under its roof, this house was built in the second half of 7th century BC The house has two floors and has five rooms with a courtyard. The houses before this type were composed of megarons standing adjacent to each other. Smyrna was built on the Hippodamian system in which streets run north-south and east-west and intersec at right angles. The houses all faced to the south.


This city plan, which took the name Hippodamus later in the 5th century BCE, followed a pattern familiar in the Near East. The city plan in the Bayraklı Mound is the earliest example of this type in the western sphere. The most ancient paved streets of the Ionian civilization have been discovered in ancient Smyrna.

The riches of the city impressed the Lydians and attracted them to Smyrna. The Lydian army conquered the city in about 610-600 BCE and burned and destroyed parts of the city.

The city began to decline soon after due to the Persian invasion. The Persian emperor had ordered the towns of the Aegean coast to raise against the Lydians while the Persian army was advancing in Anatolia. In order to punish the towns that refused to give him support in his campaign against the Lydians, the Persian emperor attacked Smyrna as well as the other coastal towns after having conquered Sardis, the capital of Lydia. As a result of the Persian attacks, old Smyrna was destroyed in 545 BC. No urban settlement was to re-emerge in Bayraklı and the period of old Smyrna effectively ended.


Alexander the Great refounded the city in about 300 BC. Alexander had defeated the Persians in several battles and finally the emperor Darius himself at Issus in 333 BC. The cities of the region witnessed a great resurgence in their population. During this period, Rhodes and Pergamon reached populations of over 100,000. Ephesus, Antioch and Alexandria reached a population of over 400,000. Old Smyrna, which had been founded on a small hill, was only sufficient for a few thousand people, so the new and larger city had been founded on the slopes of Mount Pagos (Kadifekale) in 300 BCE. The flat-topped hill seemed destined by nature to be the acropolis of an ancient city.

Becoming a Roman territory in 133 BCE, Smyrna enjoyed a golden period for the second time. Due to the importance that the city achieved, the Roman emperors who came to Anatolia also visited Smyrna. Emperor Hadrian also visited Smyrna in his journey in A.D. 121 to 125.

In 178 CE the city was devastated by an earthquake. Considered to be one of the most severe disasters that the city has faced in its history, the earthquake razed the town to the ground. The destruction was so great that the support of the Empire for re-building was necessary. Emperor Marcus Aurelius brought a great contribution in the rebuilding activities and the city was re-founded again.

Various works of architecture are thought to have been built in the city during the Roman Empire period. The streets were completely paved with stones and paved streets became preponderant in the city.

After the Roman Empire's division into two distinct entities, Smyrna became a territory of the Eastern Roman Empire. It preserved its status as a notable religious center as of the early times of the Byzantine Empire. However, the city did not grow much.

Smyrna becomes İzmir

Turks first captured Smyrna under the command of Chakabey in 1076. Chakabey conquered Clazomenae, Foça, Chios, Samos and Kos and used İzmir as a base for his raids against the Byzantine Empire in the Aegean Sea and Çanakkale Strait (Dardanelles). After his death, the town and its vicinity was re-conquered by the Byzantines in 1098. Smyrna was then captured by the Knights of Rhodes when Constantinople was conquered by the Crusaders in 1242.

Smyrna became a Turkish land, and became İzmir in the early 14th century when Turkish sailor Umur Bey, son of the founder of the Anatolian Turkish Beyliks of Aydınoglu based in Aydın, took the city back from the Knights Templar. He first captured the fort of Kadifekale on top the city, still intact today, in 1310, and then the lower castle of Sancakkale (called St. Peter at that time) and, as Chakabey had done 150 years before, used the city as a base for naval raids. The northern coastline of the Gulf of İzmir (Karşıyaka today) were, in the meantime, held by the sons of Saruhan, another Beylik based in Manisa. In 1344, taking advantage of a distracted Aydınoglu, the Genoese took back the lower castle. A sixty-year period of uneasy cohabitation between the three powers, the Aydınoglu, the Saruhan and the Genoese, ensued, with the first holding the upper castle of İzmir, the second İzmir's opposite coasts and the third İzmir's sea-side castle.

İzmir was first taken by the Ottomans in 1389 by Bayezid I, who led his armies toward the five Western Anatolian Turkish Beyliks in the winter of that same year he had ascended the throne, in keeping with his nickname of Yıldırım (the Thunderbolt). The take-over by the Ottomans took place virtually without a fight, through agreements, arrangements and marriages. But in 1402 the Mongol Tamerlane won a victory against the Ottomans and put a serious check on the fortunes of the Ottoman state for the following decades. Tamerlane gave back most of the Anatolian Turkish Beyliks to their former ruling families, and he came in person to İzmir to lodge the only battle of his career against a non-Muslim power, finally taking back the lower castle of Sancakkale (St. Peter) from the Genoese, and he destroyed the castle.

Murat II re-captured İzmir for the Ottomans, once again without resistance, from Aydinoglu in 1422 and the city became a typical Ottoman sanjak (sub-province) inside the larger Ottoman vilayet (province) of Aydın. One notable development that took place in end-15th century and early-16th century was the arrival of Jews of Spain from where they were evicted. Along with İstanbul and Selanik, İzmir was one of their primary destinations of settlement.

With the privileged trading conditions accorded to foreigners in 1620 (the infamous capitulations that were later to cause a serious threat and setback for the Ottoman state in its decline), İzmir became one of the most important commercial centers of the Ottoman Empire. Many consulates of foreign countries opened in the city, serving as trade centers for their nations. Each consulate had its own quay and the ships under their flag would anchor there.

In the meantime, a middle class, composed of Jews, Greeks and, some time later and to a lesser extent, by Armenians, started to take hold. The attraction the city exercised for merchants and middlemen gradually changed the demographic structure of the city, its culture and its Ottoman character.

The city faced a 1676 plague, the 1688 earthquake and the 1743 fire, but continued to grow. In 1866 the British-built 130 km railway line to Aydın was opened (the first Ottoman Empire line). As of the 18th century and especially of the 19th century, İzmir had a non-negligible segment of the population that was composed of merchants of French, English, Dutch and Italian merchants, adding to numerous immigrants coming from other parts of the Ottoman Empire.

After World War I and the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, the victors had, for a time, intended to carve up large parts of its territory under respective zones of influence and under the Treaty of Sevres, offered the western regions of Turkey to Greece as a bonus. On 15 May 1919 the Greek Army occupied the city after but the Greek expedition into Anatolia turned into a disaster both for that country and for the Greeks in Turkey.

The Turkish army re-took possession of İzmir on the 9 September 1922, effectively ending the Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922) in the field. The important Greek population of the city was forced to seek refuge in the nearby Greek islands by any means available. On 13 September 1922 İzmir experienced one of the greatest disasters of its history, the still controversial Great Fire of Smyrna[2] The war and the fire, as well as events other specific to İzmir during these, such as, for the Turks, the "first bullet" fired on Greek detachments on 15 May 1919 by the journalist Hasan Tahsin who was killed on the spot by bayonet blows, marked the psyches of the two nations to this day. The Turkish side was accused of many vengeful atrocities against the Greek and Armenian communities in İzmir, including the lynching and murder of the Orthodox Metropolitan Chrysostomos. In addition, the Turks massacred 200,000 inhabitants on the quay as crews of British, French, Italian and US warships anchored in the harbor looked on.<--source: Serge Trifkovic, The Sword of the Prophet--> The ensuing 1923 agreement for the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations and the Lausanne Treaty were also to affect the destinies of the city's inhabitants (departing native Greeks, native Turks and the arriving exchanged Turks) in a definite manner.

The city was, once again, gradually rebuilt after the proclamation of the Turkish Republic in 1923. The period after the 1960s and the 1970s saw another blow to the İzmir's tissue -as serious as the 1922 fire for many inhabitants-, when local administrations tended to neglect İzmir's traditional values and landmarks, with some not always in tune with the central government in Ankara and regularly falling short of subsidies, and also with huge immigration waves from the Anatolian inlands causing a population explosion and modifying its human capital. Many Smyrniots -in line with native-born citizens of such other prominent Turkish cities as İstanbul, Bursa, Manisa, Adana and Mersin- look back to their cosier and more manageable city that came to end in the last few decades with nostalgia. Floor Ownership Law of 1965 (Kat Mülkiyeti Kanunu), allowing and encouraging arrangements between house or land proprietors and building contractors, in which each would share the benefits in rent of 8-floor apartment blocks built in the place of the former single house, proved especially disastrous for the urban landscape.


İzmir is also home to Turkey's second largest Jewish community after İstanbul, still 2,500 strong.[3] The community is still concentrated in their traditional quarter of Karataş. The most famous figures the Jewish community of İzmir has produced are Sabbatai Zevi and Dario Moreno.

Modern İzmir

Today, İzmir is Turkey's third largest city and is nicknamed "Occidental İzmir" or "The pearl of the Aegean". It is widely regarded as one of the most liberal Turkish cities in terms of values, ideology, lifestyle, dynamism and gender roles. It is a stronghold of the political party CHP.

İzmir is also home-town of some famous singers like Sezen Aksu.

The city hosts an international arts festival during June/July, and an international fair during August/September every year.

Modern İzmir also incorporates world-famous ancient cities like Ephesus, Pergamon, and Sardis.

There is one modern rapid transit line running Southwest to Northeast.

Main sights

Ancient landmarks

The oldest civil work of Greek architecture in ancient Smyrna is the stone fountain, built in the first half of 7th century.

Standing on Mount Yamanlar, the Tomb of Tantalus is an example of the tholos type monumental tombs. The grave room of Tantalus' tumulus was in the plan of the fountain, displaying a style called isopata, meaning the construction has a rectangle plan, covered by vaults made with corbel technique. This monumental work is thought to be the tomb of the Basileus or Tyrant who ruled ancient Smyrna in 580-520 BCE.

Only a few traces remain in the city from the Roman period, including the stadium in the western edge of the city and the theatre in the northwest edge of the mountain. The Agora of the state is well preserved. Serious consideration has been given to excavating the ancient theatre which is today buried under an urban zone. This theatre was where St. Polycarp had been martyred.

Birds Paradise

İzmir Bird's Paradise is in Çiğli, located 15 km west of Karşıyaka, has 205 species of birds. There are 63 species of domestic birds, 54 species of summer migratory birds, 43 species of winter migratory birds, 30 spices of transit birds. 56 spices of birds have been breeding in the Park. İzmir Bird's Paradise which covers 80 square kilometres was registered as "The protected area for water birds and for their breeding" by Ministry of Forestry in 1982.

Climate

İzmir is characterized by long, hot summers and mild, rainy winters. The total precipitation for İzmir averages 706 mm (27.8 inches) per year; however, 77 % of that falls during November through March.

The average maximum temperatures during the winter months vary between 12 and 14°C. Although it's rare, snow has been recorded in İzmir in January and February. The summer months—June through September—bring average daytime temperatures of 28°C or higher.

İzmir International Fair

Izmir's coastline

The İzmir International Fair (İIF), the only member of the Union of International Fairs in Turkey, was held on an area of 421,000m2. In accordance with the rapid and dramatic developments in Turkish economy, İIF has been organising various national and international specialized fairs for years. İIF also made great contributions to İzmir’s social and cultural life with its fair ground, open-air theatre, Painting and Sculpture Museum, art centers, amusement park, zoo and parachute tower.

Cuisine of İzmir

İzmir’s cuisine has largely been affected by its multicultural history, hence the large variety of food originating from the Aegean, Mediterranean and Anatolian regions. Another factor is the large area of land surrounding the region which grows a rich selection of vegetables. Some of the common dishes found here are, tarhana soup (made from dried yoghurt and tomatoes), İzmir meatballs, keskek (boiled wheat with meat) zerde (sweetened rice with saffron) and mucver (made from squash and eggs).

Historically, as a result of the influx of Greek refugees from İzmir (as well as from other parts of Asia Minor and Istanbul) to mainland Greece after 1922, the cuisine of İzmir has had an enormous impact on Greek cuisine, exporting many sophisticated spice and foods.

Festivals

The İzmir International Festival beginning in mid-June and continuing to mid-July, has been organized since 1987. During the annual festival, many world-class performers-soloists and virtuosi, orchestras, dance companies, rock and jazz groups including Ray Charles, Paco de Lucia, Joan Baez, Martha Graham Dance Company, Tanita Tikaram, Jethro Tull, Leningrad Philarmonic Orchestra, Chris De Burgh, Sting, Moscow State Philarmony Orchestra, Jan Garbarek, Red Army Chorus, Academy of St. Martin in the Field, Kodo, Chick Corea and Origin, New York City Ballet, Nigel Kennedy, Bryan Adams, James Brown, Elton John, Kiri Te Kanawa, Mikhail Barishnikov and Josè Carreras gave recitals and performances at various venues in the city and surrounding areas, including the ancient theatres at Ephesus and Metropolis (an antique Ionian city situated near the town of Torbalı).

The Izmir European Jazz Festival is among the numerous events organized every year by İKSEV (The İzmir Foundation for Culture, Arts and Education) since 1994. The festival aims to bring together masters and lovers of jazz in attempt of generating feelings of love, friendship and peace.

Sports

Notable football clubs in İzmir are: Altay SK, Altınordu, Göztepe, İzmirspor and Karşıyaka SK.

International sport events

Education

Following universities are located in İzmir:

İzmir is also home to the fifth Space Camp in the world, Space Camp Turkey.

Media and art mentioning İzmir

The solo piano piece "In Smyrna" by Edward Elgar (1905);
The novel/play Slow Train to Izmir by Mark Angus(date?);
The book "Scotch and Holy Water" by John D. Tumpane (1981);
The movie "You can't win'em all" with Tony Curtis and Charles Bronson (1970);
The novel "Farewell Anatolia" by Dido Sotiriou (1991);
The novel "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides (2002);
The novel "Birds without Wings" by Louis de Bernières (2004);
The novel/tv series "The Witches of Smyrna" by Mara Meimaridi (2005);

Famous people from İzmir

alphabetical order

Sister Cities

¹ The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is a de facto state as well as the Turkish Municipality of Famagusta as a de facto municipality.

See also

References

  • "İzmir and the Aegean Region", a brochure prepared by Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Tourism, 2002, İstanbul.
  • Aegean Turkey: An archaeological guide (George E. Bean)

Footnotes

  1. ^ Old Smyrna's 1st Settlement Layer and the Artemis Sanctuary (Ekrem Akurgal) T.T.K., 1983
  2. ^ The fire started in the largely Armenian Basmane quarter, destroying an important part of the 'inner-city' (there were several) Greek quarter of Punta (Alsancak today) and the business district along the sea front (Kordon). The reason of the fire is still unknown, although there have been allegations from both sides; there is also a theory that it was an accident caused by chaos. The official report drawn by the head of İzmir Fire Department at the time, Paul Grescowich, an Austrian national of Serbian origin, states...
  3. ^ [1] Smyrniots in Israel 1/7

Template:Districts of İzmir

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