With its population of 2.5 million is Izmir Turkey's third largest city and its major port on the Aegean. Izmir's predecessor, the ancient Smyrna was mostly destroyed during the Turkish 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 Smyrna was again destroyed by an earthquake. Under the Byzantines, Smyrna 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 Smyrna was again destroyed, this time by Tamerlane. In 1415, Smyrna came under Ottoman rule. In 1535 Süleyman the Magnificent (Kanonu Sultan Süleyman) 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 İzmiri.e. infidel Izmir. In the 19th and early 20th century, Izmir's hashish and opium bars were the birthplace of the Greek folk music known as Rembetika.
Presently, the Turks refer to Izmir as Güzel İzmir, i.e. Beautiful Izmir. The city is also known under a more poetic phrasing as Pearl of the Aegean. Many of Izmir's inhabitants became famous during their lifetime. To name a few, there are the Greek poet Homer, the French politician Edouard Balladur, the Greek writer and Nobel prize winner Giorgos Seferis, the Greek Tycoon Aristoteles Onassis, the French-Turkish levant singer Davi Arugete better known as Dario Moreno, and many many more.
The Basmane area in the vicinity of the railway station is centrally located and offers several budget and mid-range hotels. Hotel accomodation in Izmir is in general somewhat overpriced. I visited Izmir in 1991, 1994, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2007, and 2008. Most of the pictures are from our 2003 visit. In 2001 and 2003, 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.
Photos of Izmir and info on specific areas are contained in separate pages:
