İzmir’s History

İzmir is the third largest city in Türkiye, which is near the Aegean Sea but it is relatively unknown. In this article, we provide some historic places in İzmir and our top recommendations for things to do in İzmir.

We also have prepared a brief overview of İzmir’s history, beginning with its founding and continuing up to the present day. İzmir’s rise to global metropolis status at the turn of the 19th century was meteoric.

Kemeraltı Bazaar

Kızlarağası Caravanserai

Discover the scenes of history

We have put together a compact introduction to the history of İzmir from its founding to this day.

AGORA

The majority of the agora's ruins date to the Roman era, when the structure was rebuilt with the help of Emperor Marcus Aurelius following an earthquake in 178 AD. The original agora was built during the Hellenistic era.

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Bayraklı – Tepekule (Smyrna)

Ancient İzmir (also called Smyrna) was built on a small peninsula that was about a hundred decares in size and was located northeast of the zmir Gulf.

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Governor's Office

a symbol of the Ottoman State's modernization process

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Culture Park

This huge and peaceful park is the breathing place of the people of İzmir. It is a large green park with beautiful trees, art galleries and a museum.

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Clock Tower

The clock tower, the symbol of Izmir, was built in 1901 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sultan Abdullah II's reign.

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İzmir Wildlife Park – Çiğli Sasalı Zoo

The area is home to roughly 1500 animals representing 120 species, 3000 trees, and 250 plant species.

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Faith Places

Izmir, Turkey, is home to various faith places that hold cultural and historical significance.Faith places in Izmir offer opportunities for cultural exploration, historical appreciation, and spiritual reflection. Visitors of different faiths can appreciate the rich religious heritage of the city. Here are some notable faith places in Izmir: