Outline
• Izmir city
– History, Ephesus, today
– Trade, climate, social life
Izmir - On the Aegean Coast
Izmir
“Beautiful” Izmir
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5000 years old
The cradle of civilizations
Has always been a trade hub
Multi-cultural life style
Population: 2.7 million, third largest
Izmir – 5000 years of history
• “Izmir” from “Smyrna”
• 6000 B.C: earliest settlement,
Limantepe
• Hittite Empire
• “Smyrna”, Ionian Federation
• Lydians, then Persian conquest
• Alexander the Great, Roman period
Izmir – history (cont’ed)
• Selcuk Turks, then Eastern Roman
• Ottoman control
• 18-19th century: important trade center
for French, English, Dutch and Italians
• 1923: Republic of Turkey
Smyrna – Amazon Queen
Alexander the
Great
orders the
construction of
Kadifekale (castle)
under this tree...
Kadifekale (Castle)
Kadifekale – Tunnels to sea level
Limantepe Excavations...
5000 years old findings...
Agora – The largest in the world
Agora – Three-story Structure
Agora – Excavation in progress
Cradle of civilizations
Ephesus – An ancient “metropol”
Ephesus – A major “Seaport”
Ephesus – Street of the Curetes
Ephesus – Celsus Library
Ephesus – Temple of Hadrian
Ephesus
Ephesus
Goddess of Diana
Eros on Dolphin
Aphrodite
Significant role in Christianity
• Three of the "Seven Churches" which were
mentioned in Bible are in Izmir.
• The first church dedicated to Virgin
Mary was built at Ephesus
• Virgin Mary's House where she spent
her last days is in Selcuk
• St. John wrote the Bible at Ephesus and
died there.
• On his 3rd missionary journey St. Paul
preached at Ephesus Theatre.
House of Virgin Mary
Ancient Izmir – Famous figures
• One of the Seven Wonders of the antiquity,
Temple of Artemis is at Ephesus.
• Epic poet Homeros (9th century B.C), the
author of "the Iliad and the Odyssey" was
born in Izmir.
• Parchment paper was first invented in
Pergamon.
• The Phokaians built 50-oared boats carrying
500 passengers.
Ancient Izmir – Famous figures
• Izmir was mentioned by famous historian
Heredotos as “the city under the most sublime
blue sky and on the remarkable climate”.
• Alexander the Great was told by Aristoteles,
the philosopher like the following “If you do not
see Smyrna you remain lacking”.
• Xenophanes, philosopher and poet of Colophon
lived in the 6th century B.C.
• The famous philosopher Heraclitus (540-480
B.C) lived in Ephesus.
Ancient Izmir – Famous figures
• The famous philosopher Anaxagoras (500-428
B.C) lived in Clazomenae.
• Bucolic poet Bion (3rd century B.C) lived in Izmir.
• Famous physician Galen (131-210 A.D) lived in
Pergamon.
• Cleopatra spent the winter of the year 188 in
Ephesus together with Marcus Antonius
Weather – mild in winter
• Sub-mediterranean climate
• Average:
– Summer: 27 °C (80 °F)
– Winter: 10 °C (50 °F)
Izmir – Pearl of Aegean
Republic Square
Historical Passport Pier
Historical Lift
Izmir Gulf – Ships, yachts...
Historical Clock Tower
Shopping...
Izmir – Tourism center
• 2.8 million tourists a year
– 20% of total visitors to Turkey
• Historical sites
• Beaches, landscape
• Health tourism: Spa’s, thermal....
Cesme – Altinyunus
Windsurfers’ Paradise
Alacati
Cesme – Ilica Regatta
Cesme – Ilica Beach
Izmir – Trade Hub
• Commercial center of the region for
thousands of years
• Today, Izmir foreign trade: $15 bn/year
• Izmir’s share in Turkey’s exports: %20
• Main export items:
– textile, apparel, fruits, tobacco
Trade throughout history...
Izmir – Multi-cultural life
• Still the hub of Levantine community for
centuries
• Judaism, Christianity and Islam have
always co-existed peacefully
• Friendly and smiling people
Izmir – Conference Center
• The first Economy Conference of the
Republic was held in Izmir in 1923
• International Trade Fair since 1927
• To host University Olympic Games in
2005
Universiade 2005
• World’s 2nd most important sports event
• Izmir will host the games in 2005
– 8,000 athletes, officials
Convenient Travel
• International airport
– Lufthansa, KLM, THY flies daily
– Turkish Airlines flies 8-10 times a day
between Istanbul and Izmir
– Other carriers do operate too
– 20 minutes to city center
• No visa requirement for European
Nationals (for others only sticker visa at
the airport)
Wining and Dining
• Turkish and Aegean cuisines are rich
• Heaven for vegetarians:
– Starters, mezes, main courses
• Fish and Raki (national drink):
– an indispensable event to experience
• After party “soup” treats!
Sightseeing Opportunities
• Ephesus:
– Including House of Virgin Mary, Seven
Sleepers
– Distance from Izmir: 45 min by bus
• City tour:
– Agora, Kadifekale (Castle), Smyrna, Old
city
SEE YOU IN İZMİR