izmir about
zmir’s history goes back to 3000 B.C. according to the results of historical knowledge and archaeological excavations. Findings and many investigations have been made to enlighten Izmir’s history: The continuous excavations on the Bayrakli ridges by Prof. Dr. Ekrem Akurgal since 1959, the discovery of the Zeus Altar by the German archaeologist Carl Humman in Pergamon (Bergama) between 1866 and 1878, the discovery of the Artemis Temple in 1869 by the British Wood and the continuous excavations by Austrian archaeologists at certain intervals of the city of ancient Ephesus since 1904. Also many researchers in different universities are still investigating on the city’s historical development.
Many legends are known about the derivation of the name of Izmir. According to the knowledge acquired from scientific studies the word “IZMIR” came from Smyrna in the ancient Ionian dialect and it was written as Smyrna in the Attican (around Athens) dialect. The word Smyrna was not Greek, it came from Anatolian root like many other names in the Aegean Region from the texts belonging to 2000 B.C. in the Kültepe settlement in Kayseri, a place called Tismyrna was come across and the (Ti) at the beginning was omitted and the city was pronounced as Smyrna. So the city was called Smyrna the early years of 3000 B.C. or late 1800 B.C. In the Turkish era the city was called Izmir.
In the years of 3000 B.C. Western Anatolia was under a rich Trojan civilization influence. The settlement areas built on the Aegean coast also developed generally under the Trojan influence. The Hittites which Homer wrote about in the Iliad, were an active force and civilization in the Anatolian mountain pastures because the Trojans were allies of the Hittites and they had a big influence on the Aegean settlements. As a matter of fact Pitane (Çandarli) in the Bakirçay River basin and similar settlements were built by the Hittites. It is believed that the Amazons lived in the area between Caria and the Lydia which today is the sides of the Yamanlar Mountains, and they carried on their existence until the arrival of the Aiolos and the Ions.
The Aiolos and the Ions who Fled from the Doric invasion around 1000 B.C., came from Greece and settled in Izmir and its surroundings. The important Aeol and Ionian settlements are as follows: Bergama (Pergamon), Manisa (Magnesia), Izmir (Smyrna), Urla (Klazomenai, near Cesme), Kemalpasa (Nimphaion), Cesme-Ildiri (Erythrai), Sigacik (Teos), Phokaia, Selcuk (Ephesus).
Until the 7th century B.C. Izmir got richer because of its trade with its neighbors especially Lydia. Its good neighbor relationships with Lydia lasted until the Lydians were conquered by the Persians. The Persian sovereignty ended with Alexander the Great’s arrival to Anatolia in 334 B.C. In these years, in which the Hellenistic period began, a new settlement was formed around Kadifekale (Mount Pagos) and its city walls belong to the Hellenistic period and have undergone many restorations in the following periods.
The city, which was tied to the Pergamon Empire in 197 B.C., passed into the control of the Roman Empire after a short period between 27 B.C. and 324 A.D. Roman control transformed Izmir into an important trade and harbor city. For the west, Izmir was seen as the center of Asia. In this period the Agora, Acropolis, Theater, Stadium, and constructions that did not remain up to now, like the libraries and the fountains, were built during this period.
The two roads stretching from Kadifekale (Mt. Pagos) to Ephesus and Sardis were built during the Roman period. In 324 A.D. after the Roman Empire was divided into two, Izmir had been taken by the Byzantine Empire and Ephesus especially was an important cultural and religious center in the classic Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods. An important development was not seen during the Byzantine period.
Even though Izmir came into the possession of the Hun Emperor Attila, this authority did not last long and the city re-taken the Byzantines.
Kutalmisoglu Suleyman Shah in 1076 was the first conqueror of Izmir by the Seljuk Turks. In the period that the famous sea admiral Çaka Bey was appointed as the mayor of Izmir; Urla, Foça and the Islands of Sakiz (Chios), Samos and Istanköy (Cos) were conquered. After Çaka Bey’s death the city and its surroundings passed into the possession of the Byzantines in 1098. Then Izmir was taken by the knights at the time that Istanbul was invaded by the Crusaders. In 1320 the Turkish sailor Umur Bey returned Izmir from the Catholic knights and added it to the Turkish land.
In the period of the principalities, Izmir and its nearby surrounding were under the reign of the Saruhanogullari principality. Pergamon (Bergama) and its surroundings were tied to Karesiogullari principality. The reign of Izmir and its surroundings passed into the Ottoman hands completely in 1426.
The following Turkish architectural constructions are distinguished examples of the Turkish culture built during the Ottoman period, they have adorned Izmir for centuries: The Hisar Mosque, The Sadirvan Mosque, the Hatuniye Mosque, the Konak Yali Mosque, the Kemeralti Mosque, the Kestane Bazaar Mosque, the Izmir Clock Tower, the Kizlaragasi Han (Inn – commercial building), the Mirkelamoglu and Cakaloglu Inns and other inns (trade places for spending the night), Bedesten (Ottoman’s special trade constructions).
Beginning with the 16th century Izmir had an important place in the world trade. There was an increase in the consulates of foreign countries especially due to the capitulations that the Ottoman government provided for Europe. It is known that these consulates participated in the trade activities and each anchored their ships in the bay.
A castle was built on the narrowest point of the bay to check the ships entering and leaving the Izmir Gulf. New constructions were built in the second half of the century to help developing of the city’s trade. Among these constructions, the most important examples are the customs building in the 19th century, the sectors of packing, insurance, stock and banking.
In the years of the struggle of Liberation, Izmir underwent a great wreckage with huge destructions and fires. With the driving away of the Greek army by the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on September 9th 1922, Izmir started to become a modern city of the young Turkish Republic and developed this character more everyday.
Today, Izmir is the third largest city of Turkey with a population of 3,739,353 (as of December 2007).
Is their public transport from Izmir Airport to Selcuk? Does on really need to walk a few kilometers to get to a bus stop?
May you be well, peaceful and happy.
Tara
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by sinan » Fri May 19, 2006 4:05 pm
NO. But you can take a take to MENDERES then take a bus to SELCUK.
Have a nice trip in Turkey
Sinan Akdeniz
sinan
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by andykeen » Wed Aug 16, 2006 2:09 pm
We got a taxi to Gazienir (not too expensive) then a dolmus to Selcuk. Quite easy and not long to wait.
andykeen
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by davcamp » Wed Aug 16, 2006 7:24 pm
WE TOOK A HAVAS BUS FROM AIRPORT TO KONAK TOWER AREA IN IZMIR…ABOUT 30 MIN…FROM KONAK AREA YOU CAN CATCH A PUBLIC BUS TO OTOGAR, FROM THERE TAKE A BUS TO SELCUK ABOUT 1:15 MIN..
DAV
davcamp
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by sinan » Thu Aug 17, 2006 9:11 am
Dear DAVCAMP,
You explained the normal way to go to Selcuk BUT the best and easy way are
1) my way
2) andykeen way
Do you NOW WHY? because Menderes or Gaziemir are the closer then KONAK or BUS STATION. You can take a taxi to Gaziemir or Menderes then take dolmus to selcuk.
Have a nice trip in Turkey
Sinan Akdeniz
sinan
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Trains from Izmir Airport to Selçuk
by Michael » Fri Sep 01, 2006 10:24 am
There are also direct trains from Izmir Airport to Selçuk leaving at 8.08, 9.33, 15.49, 16.32, 17.41, 19.07, 19.38 and 22.02. They take about one hour. This may be the easiest and fastest way if you happen to be in the airport at the right time.
Michael
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Re: Trains from Izmir Airport to Selçuk
by Rue37 » Thu Apr 12, 2007 7:43 pm
Hi all – i know this is an old message but i am hoping someone can still reply to me. We need to go from Selçuk to Izmir in order to catch the 6 Eylul Ekspresi between ismir and Bandirma. it leaves Izmir at 2:40 pm so i am wondering when we would take the train to get there … want to maximize our sightseeing time of course! Thanks in advance for any replies!
Xina
Michael wrote:
There are also direct trains from Izmir Airport to Selçuk leaving at 8.08, 9.33, 15.49, 16.32, 17.41, 19.07, 19.38 and 22.02. They take about one hour. This may be the easiest and fastest way if you happen to be in the airport at the right time.
Rue37
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by sinan » Thu Apr 12, 2007 7:54 pm
xina,
6 Eylul Ekspresi between bandirma and Izmir NEVER goes to Selcuk because bandirma is south of Izmir intead of north of Izmir. Goller expresi is the right train between Selcuk and Izmir. Here is the link
http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/yolcu/goller.htm
have a nice trip in Turkey
Sinan
sinan
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by Rue37 » Thu Apr 12, 2007 8:07 pm
Wow! Thanks so much for the info and the lightning quick replay (i am in Turkey now so i appreciate it!). My only problem is that the link you sent me is in Turkish and has me quite confused unfortunately. Do you know if it is in English as well?
Xina
Rue37
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by Michael » Thu Apr 12, 2007 9:39 pm
The link for the Göller (Lakes) express in English:
http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/tcdding/trengoller_ing.htm
The Göller Express train going into Izmir leaves Selçuk at a rather harsh 5.18 AM. There is a train after that, at 6.25, arriving into Basmane Station shortly after 8.00, in plenty of time for the 6 Eylul express at 9.15.
Note that busses are replacing trains between Gazdemir and Izmir (Basmane) for part of the journey between Selçuk and Izmir, and between Basmane and Çiğli just outside Izmir on the journey to Bandirma, because of work on a new metro system in Izmir.
It seems to me that with the tunnel work going on it would be much faster to get a bus from Selçuk to Manisa if possible (it would only take 1:30-2 hrs), and get on the train there (it leaves Manisa at 10.46). The bus station in Manisa is only 100m or so from the train station, making for an easy connection. I’m not sure that there is such a direct bus though (w/o changing in Izmir) – if not it may be best sticking to the train.
Links for the train-boat connection
http://www.ido.com.tr/index.cfm?page=Su … =876&ln=en
http://www.tcdd.gov.tr/yolcu/6eylul.htm
Michael
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İzmir, also once called Smyrna, is Turkey’s third most populous city and the country’s largest port after Istanbul. It is located along the outlying waters of the Gulf of İzmir, by the Aegean Sea. It is the seat of İzmir Province. The city of İzmir is composed of nine metropolitan districts (Balçova, Bornova, Buca, Çiğli, Gaziemir, Güzelbahçe, Karşıyaka, Konak, and Narlıdere), each with its own distinct features and temperament. The total area of the nine districts is 855 km² and together these districts constitute the area of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality headed by the mayor of İzmir. The total population of the metropolitan municipality was 2,649,582 by the end of 2007.[1] Of these, 2,606,294 were living in central Izmir, consisting of the nine district centres of the metropolitan municipality.[2]
İzmir has almost 3,500 years of urban past, and possibly that much more of advanced human settlement. Its port, privatized in 2007 [3], is Turkey’s first port for exports in terms of the freight handled and its free zone, a Turkish-U.S. joint-venture established in 1990, is the leader among the twenty in Turkey. Its workforce, and particularly its rising class of young professionals, concentrated either in the city or in its immediate vicinity (such as in Manisa), and under either larger companies or SMEs, affirm their name in an increasingly wider global scale and intensity.[4] İzmir is widely regarded as one of the most progressive Turkish cities in terms of its values, lifestyle, dynamism and gender roles. It is a stronghold of the Republican People’s Party, although it lost a lot of ground to the ruling AKP party in the 2007 election.
Cafés along the historic Pasaport Quay (1877) at the port of İzmir
The city hosts an international arts festival during June and July, and İzmir International Fair, one of the city’s many fair and exhibition events centered around but not limited to Kültürpark, is held in the beginning of September every year. İzmir is served by national and international flights through Adnan Menderes Airport and there is a modern rapid transit line running from the southwest to the northeast. İzmir hosted the Mediterranean Games in 1971 and the World University Games (Universiade) in 2005. It had a running bid submitted to the BIE to host the Universal Expo 2015, in March, 2008, that was lost to Milan. Modern İzmir also incorporates the nearby ancient cities of Ephesus, Pergamon, Sardis and Klazomenai, and centers of international tourism such as Kuşadası, Çeşme, Mordoğan and Foça.
Despite its advantageous location and its heritage, İzmir has suffered until recently, as one author puts it, from “sketchy understanding” in the eyes of outsiders. When the Ottomans took over İzmir in the 15th century they did not inherit compelling historical memories, unlike the two other keys of the trade network, namely İstanbul and Aleppo. Its emergence as a major international port as of the 17th century was largely a result of the attraction it exercised over foreigners, and the city’s European orientation. [5] Very different people found İzmir attractive over the ages and the city has always been governed by fresh inspirations, including for the very location of its center, and is quick to adopt novelties and projects.
Geography of Izmir
Izmir, Turkey, the capital of Izmir province. It lies at the head of the Gulf of Izmir about 200 miles (320 km) southwest of Istanbul. Izmir has many light manufacturing industries. Its port is the second most active after Istanbul’s. The Aegean University (founded 1955) and an archeological museum are located here.
Izmir, formerly called Smyrna, is one of the world’s oldest cities. It was settled by Greeks in the 11th century B.C.and was ruled successively by many conquerors, including Romans, Byzantines, and Ottoman Turks. The city was occupied by Greece after World War I, but the Turks recaptured it in 1922 and gave it its present name.
Population: 3,370,866.
