İzmir
İzmir is a city in the west of Turkey. It has one of the biggest seaports in the Aegean Sea region and all of Turkey. İzmir is a popular destination for tourists, who come for beaches and cultural tours in the region. It has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa in the Köppen climate classification). İzmir is the third largest city in Turkey.
This is an ancient city; many scholars think Homer was born in Smyrna. Earthquakes destroyed the city in 187 AD, 1653, 1688, 1739, and 1778, and it was rebuilt many times. The last big earthquake was in 2020, which caused more than 117 deaths and the collapse of 8 buildings. The Greek name for this formerly Greek city is Smyrna, from which the Turkish name İzmir comes. The Greek name was also used in English until the early 20th century. About 30 km (20 miles) south of İzmir, there is an ancient Greek city named Ephesus.
İzmir was a candidate for Expo 2015. However, Milan had more support, so İzmir lost.
İzmir Media
NASA Earth Observatory photo of İzmir, taken from the International Space Station on 16 May 2011, highlighting the modern urban landscape of the city
Agora of Smyrna, built during the Hellenistic era at the base of Pagos Hill and totally rebuilt under Marcus Aurelius after the destructive 178 AD earthquake in Smyrna
Head of the poet Sappho found in ancient Smyrna. Roman marble copy of an original statue from the Hellenistic period, at the Istanbul Archaeology Museums.
Beylik of Aydın in the 14th century
Hisar Mosque (1592–1598) in the Kemeraltı neighbourhood of İzmir