İzmir - Page I
İzmir Konak - Saat Kulesi - Clock Tower
With its population of 2.5 million is İzmir Turkey's third
largest city and its major port on the Aegean. The ancient Smyrna was mostly
destroyed during the War of Independence in 1922, when a large fired razed most
of the city. Presently Izmir, is a modern city with broad boulevards and
glass-fronted office blocks.
Izmir's original name Smyrna comes from the godess Myrina,
a deity worshipped before the Aeolians built their first settlement in the
10th century BC. The most famous ancient citizen of Smyrna was Homer, the
founder of Western literature. Izmir's history of war and destruction
began early when the Aeolians were conquered by the Ionians who at their
turn were overcome by the Lydians. In the 4th century Alexander the
Great built a new city, after the desctruction caused by the Lydians
around 600 BC. Roman rule brought peace and prosperity, but in 178 AD the
city was again destroyed by an earthquake. Under Byzantine rule it became
one of the busiest ports of the empire. The decline of Byzantine power
allowed armies of Arabs, Seljuk Turks, Genoese, and crusaders to march in
and out of the city. In 1402 Snyrna was again destroyed, this time by
Tamerlane. In 1415, it became under Ottoman rule. In 1535 Süleyman
the Magnificent signed a commercial treaty with France and Izmir became a
sophisticated commercial center. Any worthwile merchant was expected to
speak Arabic, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, and Turkish.
Additional knowledge of Armenian, Ladino and Russian was appreciated. The
large Christian population, mainly Greek, led the Turks to refer to the
city as "Gavur İzmir",
i.e. infidel Izmir. In
the 19 and early 20 century, Izmir's hashish and opium bars were the
birthplace of the Greek folk music known as Rembetika.
The Basmane area is centrally located and offers several budget
and mid-range hotels. Hotel accomodation in Izmir is in general somewhat
overpriced. We stayed in the Grand Hotel Zeybek, Fevzipaşa Bulvarı,
Sokak No. 6, 35230 Basmane/Izmir (Tel. +(90) 232 441 95 90, Double 44$,
single 32$). The hotel is clean but a bit outdated and the lights and
painting make the general atmosphere somewhat depressing.
Izmir's large bazaar with its maze of alley-way streets is very
colourful and it's a great place to just stroll around and get lost.
Click on the thumbnails to get a greater picture
