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Izmir |
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Izmir’s
history goes back to 3000 B.C. according
to the results of historical knowledge
and archaeological excavations. Findings
and many investigations have been made
to enlighten Izmir’s history: The
continuous excavations on the Bayrakli
ridges by Prof. Dr. Ekrem Akurgal since
1959, the discovery of the Zeus Altar by
the German archaeologist Carl Humman in
Pergamon (Bergama) between 1866 and
1878, the discovery of the Artemis
Temple in 1869 by the British Wood and
the continuous excavations by Austrian
archaeologists at certain intervals of
the city of ancient Ephesus since 1904.
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Also many
researchers in different universities
are still investigating on the city’s
historical development.
Many legends are known about the
derivation of the name of Izmir.
According to the knowledge acquired from
scientific studies the word "IZMIR" came
from Smyrna in the ancient Ionian
dialect and it was written as Smyrna in
the Attican (around Athens) dialect. The
word Smyrna was not Greek, it came from
Anatolian root like many other names in
the Aegean Region from the texts
belonging to 2000 B.C. in the Kültepe
settlement in Kayseri, a place called
Tismyrna was come across and the (Ti) at
the beginning was omitted and the city
was pronounced as Smyrna. So the city
was called Smyrna the early years of
3000 B.C. or late 1800 B.C. In the
Turkish era the city was called Izmir.
In the years of 3000 B.C. Western
Anatolia was under a rich Trojan
civilization influence. The settlement
areas built on the Aegean Coast also
developed generally under the Trojan
influence. The Hittites which Homer
wrote about in the Iliad, were an active
force and civilization in the Anatolian
mountain pastures because the Trojans
were allies of the Hittites and they had
a big influence on the Aegean
settlements. As a matter of fact Pitane
(Çandarli) in the Bakirçay River basin
and similar settlements were built by
the Hittites. It is believed that the
Amazons lived in the area between Caria
and the Lydia which today is the sides
of the Yamanlar Mountains, and they
carried on their existence until the
arrival of the Aiolos and the Ions.
The Aiolos and the Ions who Fled from
the Doric invasion around 1000 B.C.,
came from Greece and settled in Izmir
and its surroundings. The important Aiol
and Ionian settlements are as follows:
Bergama (Pergamon), Manisa (Magnesia),
Izmir (Smyrna), Urla (Klazomenai, near
Cesme), Kemalpasa (Nimphaion),
Cesme-Ildiri (Erythrai), Sigacik (Teos),
Selcuk (Ephesus).
Until the 7th century B.C. Izmir got
richer because of its trade with its
neighbors especially Lydia. Its good
neighbor relationships with Lydia lasted
until the Lydians were conquered by the
Persians. The Persian sovereignty ended
with Alexander the Great's arrival to
Anatolia in 334 B.C. In these years, in
which the Hellenistic period began, a
new settlement was formed around
Kadifekale (Mount Pagos) and its city
walls belong to the Hellenistic period
and have undergone many restorations in
the following periods.
The city, which was tied to the Pergamon
Empire in 197 B.C., passed into the
control of the Roman Empire after a
short period between 27 B.C. and 324
A.D. Roman control transformed Izmir
into an important trade and harbor city.
For the west, Izmir was seen as the
center of Asia. In this period the
Agora, Acropolis, Theater, Stadium, and
constructions that did not remain up to
now, like the libraries and the
fountains, were built during this
period.
The two roads stretching from Kadifekale
(Mt. Pagos) to Ephesus and Sardis were
built during the Roman period. In 324
A.D. after the Roman Empire was divided
into two, Izmir had been taken by the
Byzantine Empire and Ephesus especially
was an important cultural and religious
center in the classic Hellenistic, Roman
and Byzantine periods. An important
development was not seen during the
Byzantine period.
Even though Izmir came into the
possession of the Hun Emperor Attila,
this authority did not last long and the
city re-taken the Byzantines.
Kutalmisoglu Suleyman Sah in 1076 was
the first conqueror of Izmir by the
Seljuk Turks. In the period that the
famous sea admiral Çaka Bey was
appointed as the mayor of Izmir; Urla,
Foça and the Islands of Sakiz (Chios),
Samos and Istanköy (Cos) were conquered.
After Çaka Bey’s death the city and its
surroundings passed into the possession
of the Byzantines in 1098. Then Izmir
was taken by the knights at the time
that Istanbul was invaded by the
Crusaders. In 1320 the Turkish sailor
Umur Bey returned Izmir from the
Catholic knights and added it to the
Turkish land.
In the period of the principalities,
Izmir and its nearby surrounding were
under the reign of the Saruhanogullari
principality. Pergamon (Bergama) and its
surroundings were tied to Karesiogullari
principality. The reign of Izmir and its
surroundings passed into the Ottoman
hands completely in 1426.
The following Turkish architectural
constructions are distinguished examples
of the Turkish culture built during the
Ottoman period, they have adorned Izmir
for centuries: The Hisar Mosque, The
Sadirvan Mosque, the Hatuniye Mosque,
the Konak Yali Mosque, the Kemeralti
Mosque, the Kestane Bazaar Mosque, the
Izmir Clock Tower, the Kizlaragasi Han
(Inn - commercial building), the
Mirkelamoglu and Cakaloglu Inns and
other inns (trade places for spending
the night), Bedesten (Ottoman’s special
trade constructions).
Beginning with the 16th century Izmir
had an important place in the world
trade. There was an increase in the
consulates of foreign countries
especially due to the capitulations that
the Ottoman government provided for
Europe. It is known that these
consulates participated in the trade
activities and each anchored their ships
in the bay.
A castle was built on the narrowest
point of the bay to check the ships
entering and leaving the Izmir Gulf. New
constructions were built in the second
half of the century to help developing
of the city’s trade. Among these
constructions, the most important
examples are the customs building in the
19th century, the sectors of packing,
insurance, stock and banking.
In the years of the struggle of
liberation, Izmir underwent a great
wreckage with huge destructions and
fires. With the driving away of the
Greek army by the leadership of the
great leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on
September 9th 1922, Izmir started to
become a modern city of the young
Turkish Republic and developed this
character more everyday |
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