Izmir Favorite Tips by Kuznetsov_Sergey

Smyrna and Homer

Favorite thing: Smyrna was built on the slopes of Pagos (present-day Kadifekale). Its remains are located within the urban zone of Izmir. Old Smyrna was located on a small peninsula connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus at the northeastern corner of the inner Gulf of Izmir
Homer is said to have been born in Smyrna. A common and consistent tradition connects Homer with the valley of Smyrna and the banks of the Meles River.

You can watch my 4 min 15 sec Video clip Izmir Konak Slide-show with Turkish pop music by Ebru Gundes - Telafi.

Izmir general background

Favorite thing: Izmir also has its Greek name Smyrna. Izmir is almost 3,500 years old. It has more than 3 million people and is Turkey's third most populous city.
Izmir was nearly destroyed by fire in September 1922. Izmir was badly damaged by earthquakes in 1928 and again in 1939.

So it has quite a modern view now without many ancient or medieval sights. May be that’s why tourist groups (like ours) usually make a short stop there before visiting other sites at the Aegean coast of Turkey.

You can watch my 4 min 07 sec Video clip Izmir Konak with Turkish pop music by Kenan Dogulu – Demedi Deme.

Fondest memory: You may watch my high resolution photo of Izmir on the Google Earth according to the following coordinates 38° 25' 0.10" N 27° 7' 31.96" E or on my Google Earth Panoramio Izmir .