Old Smyrna

Smyrna is an ancient settlement that has witnessed the history of Izmir dating back thousands of years. Moreover, because it has reached the present day in very good condition compared to many other settlements with close ages, it does not escape the attention that it feels very little of the fatigue caused by the tens of centuries. After the first settlement established more than 2700 years ago was moved to a different place 400 years later, the ‘first settlement’ place also takes the name of old Smyrna. The historical settlement located in Bayraklı district, north of the center of Izmir, houses many ancient ruins. Most important among these is the building believed to be the first fountain in the history of Western civilization. The rectangular planned fountain surprises with its special channels and Special Chambers opened for water collection and discharge. It salutes the city in a corridor and in a high position. Moreover, it continues to flow from the first time, that is, approximately 2700 years. Smyrna, one of the places captured by Alexander The Great in the Anatolian conquests beginning in BC 334, was later moved. Later about BC 280, It was captured by the Seleucids. In the centuries that followed, the Kingdom of Pergamon and the Roman domination began. As settlement activities increased in the 2.century, large and magnificent structures were built. Byzantine domination, the Arab incursions in the 7-8.centuries, and finally Turkish domination, can be expressed in the form of a summary history of ancient Smyrna, an important port city, and its surroundings. Ancient Smyrna, where Greek-language expressions and a puzzle have been discovered, is among the inviting cultural sightseeing destinations in Izmir with its magnificent ruins and dominating scenery.