Information About Izmir
Izmir has a population of 3 million. It is the third biggest city in Turkey. In Turkey’s export trade, Izmir is second only to Istanbul. The city is situated on the Gulf of Izmir which is 25km in length. Its climate is pleasant. The very hot weather of summer is bearable because of a cool breeze from the west; the winter hardly continues longer than three months.
History
Originally Izmir (Smyrna) was established in the 3rd century B.C. 8km north of the present city centre in the quarter of Bayraklı. In approximately 800 B.C. Ionians conquered Smyrna. Homer would have lived here at this time. The city was re-established during the reign of Alexander the Great, on Pagos hill (Kadifekale). In the 3rd and 2nd century B.C., it reached its peak and became one of the most beautiful of the Ionic cities. It became prosperous for a second time in the 2nd century A.D. during the Roman period. In 178 A.D. Izmir was damaged by an earthquake, and was rebuilt by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. When the Roman Empire collapsed, Byzantine rule began in Izmir. After the introduction of Christianity under the leadership of Constantine the Great, the city was besieged by Arabs. At the end of the 11th century it fell into the hands of Selçuk Turks. During the First Crusade of 1097, Izmir was reconquered by the Byzantines. In 1415 it was taken by the Ottomans after a short siege. After World War I in 1919, the Greeks occupied Izmir, and from here, pushed their way far into Asia Minor. In 1922 the city was reconquered by the Turks and built anew.
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