İzmir

İzmir is the third biggest city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is the largest city on the Aegean Sea, sitting on the coast of Anatolia.

By the end of 2025, about 3.5 million people live in İzmir, so it is a lively and crowded place.

The city has a very long history, with people living there for up to 8,500 years. In the past, it was known as Smyrna. Today, İzmir is a key port and a spot for trade. It has many universities and hosts the yearly İzmir International Fair. The weather there is Mediterranean, with hot, dry summers and gentle, rainy winters.

Names and etymology

The ancient city of Ephesus is in the Province of İzmir.

Long ago, in a place called Anatolia, there was a town named Ti-smurna. We know this from old tablets found at an ancient trading place called Kültepe.

Today, the city is called İzmir. This name comes from an ancient Greek name, Smyrna. Over time, people called the city by different names like Smire, Zmirra, Esmira, and Ismira. It finally became İzmir in Turkish.

Some think the city's name might come from a brave woman named Smyrna from old stories. Others believe it could be named after a special plant called Myrrha commifera, which made a fragrant resin called myrrh. The Romans used the name Smyrna, and in English, the city was also called Smyrna until the 20th century. After Turkey started using the Latin alphabet in 1928, the name İzmir became more common.

History

The city of İzmir is one of the oldest settlements in the Mediterranean basin. Discoveries like Yeşilova Höyük show that people lived there as far back as the 7th millennium BC. Over time, many empires ruled the city, including the Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman Empires.

Karabel relief of the Luwian local leader "Tarkasnawa, King of Myra" is near Kemalpaşa, a few kilometres to the east of İzmir.

İzmir became an important trade center, especially in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Traders from France, England, the Netherlands, and Venice came to the city, and it became a major port in the Ottoman Empire. Even with challenges like plagues, earthquakes, and fires, İzmir kept growing.

After World War I, İzmir had difficult times. Greek forces landed in the city in 1919, but Turkish forces took it back in 1922. A large fire caused damage. The city was rebuilt and became part of the new Republic of Turkey in 1923. Today, İzmir is a busy city with many districts and continues to grow.

Demographics

In 2024, İzmir had about 2.9 million people in its eleven districts. The whole province had around 4.5 million people. The larger area around the city, called the metro area, had about 3.3 million people. This area stretches along the waters of the Gulf of İzmir and goes north across the Gediz River Delta. It also reaches east along a flat area and covers some hilly land in the south.

Recently, İzmir has been growing, especially to the west, thanks to a major road called the Çeşme motorway. This growth has spread to places like Seferihisar and Urla which are outside the main city. İzmir is also important for its smaller Jewish community, which is the second largest in Turkey after Istanbul. There is also a Catholic group known as the Levantines of İzmir.

Turkey has many people of black ancestry whose families came from the African slave trade during the Ottoman Empire. These people are known as Afro-Turks, and İzmir and the nearby Aegean coast are important centers for this community.

Population of İzmir
Year	Population	Year	Population
1595	2,000	1955	286,000
1640	35,000–40,000	1960	371,000
1660	60,000–70,000	1965	442,000
1890	200,000	1970	554,000
1918	300,000	1985	1,489,817
1927	154,000	1990	1,758,780
1935	171,000	2000	2,232,265
1940	184,000	2007	2,606,294
1945	200,000	2009	2,727,968
1950	231,000	2014	2,847,691

Climate

İzmir has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. This means it has long, hot, and dry summers with cool and rainy winters. The city gets about 730.5 mm (28.76 in) of rain each year, mostly from November to March. From June to September, there is usually very little rain, and sometimes droughts happen.

Winter temperatures are usually between 10 and 16 °C (50 and 61 °F). Snow can sometimes fall from December to February, but it usually stays for just a few hours. Frost can happen at night during winter.

In the summer, temperatures can get as high as 40 °C (104 °F) from June to September, but they are most often between 30 and 36 °C (86 and 97 °F). Regular winds called Etesian, known as meltem in Turkish, blow in from the Aegean Sea.

Main sights

Standing on Mount Yamanlar, there is an old tomb dug up in 1835. It shows us life from before the Hellenistic Age. More old pieces are near Kemalpaşa and Mount Sipylus.

The Agora of Smyrna is kept well and people can see old things there. Plans exist to uncover an old theatre where St. Polycarp once lived. A hill nearby has an old castle, one of İzmir’s most famous spots. Other old buildings include water pipes in Buca.

A special part of İzmir’s harbor is the Clock Tower, a tall marble tower in the Konak area. It was built in 1901 and has fountains around it.

The Kemeraltı area has a market set up long ago, close to the slopes of Kadifekale. İzmir had three castles to keep the city safe. One, called Sancakkale, is still in İnciraltı.

Nine special places for a group of people are in İzmir, mostly in Karatas or on Havra Sokak street in Kemeraltı.

Asansör (1907) offers panoramic views of the city.

A big concrete shape showing the head of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, is near the old castle of İzmir.

The İzmir Bird Paradise in Çiğli is a special place for birds. Many kinds of birds live and visit there. This area was protected in 1982 to help birds. A big open-air zoo also started in Çiğli in 2008.

Culture

Museums

Main article: List of museums in İzmir

Many of İzmir's important museums are in Konak, the city center. The Arkas Art Centre, built in 1906, is a famous cultural spot. The İzmir Archeological Museum is one of the city's largest, with over 200,000 items from Ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine times. The Ethnography Museum shows Turkish and Ottoman history.

Other museums in the city include the İzmir Art and Sculpture Museum, the İzmir Women's Museum, the İzmir Mask Museum, the TCDD 3rd Region Museum and Art Gallery near the Alsancak Gar, and the İzmir Atatürk Museum with items from Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and İsmet İnönü. The Agora of Smyrna is one of the world's largest ancient marketplaces in a city area.

On the other side of the Gulf of İzmir, in Karşıyaka, the Bostanlı Open-air Archaeological Museum has old pillars and sculptures. In Balçova, the İnciraltı Sea Museum shows a submarine, a frigate, and a missile boat.

İzmir International Fair

İzmir hosts many trade fairs, exhibitions, and conferences. The İzmir International Fair happens each September in Kültürpark, a big park in the city.

Festivals

The International İzmir Festival happens every year from mid-June to mid-July. It started in 1987 and brings singers, musicians, dancers, and jazz and rock groups to perform in İzmir and nearby places like Ephesus and Metropolis. The festival is part of the European Festivals Association.

The İzmir European Jazz Festival happens every year to bring together jazz fans and musicians.

Music

In 2015, the Barış Youth Symphony Orchestra was created to help children stay busy and out of trouble. The orchestra now has almost 100 members.

Cuisine

İzmir's food comes from many places because of its history. Dishes from the Aegean and Mediterranean regions, as well as from Eastern and South East Anatolia, are common. The area grows many vegetables, and people often eat green leaves and wild plants. Popular foods include tarhana soup, "İzmir" köfte, sulu köfte, keşkek, zerde, and mücver. Special pastries like boyoz and lokma are also from İzmir. Kumru, a cheese and tomato sandwich sometimes with sucuk, is famous in the Çeşme area.

Economy

Skyscrapers in the Bayraklı district of İzmir

The port of İzmir is very important for Turkey. It moves many goods and is the biggest port for exports in the country. The area around İzmir, including places like Manisa and Turgutlu, has many workers and businesses that are growing and becoming known around the world.

İzmir's economy has many parts. Some of it comes from making things, and some comes from selling goods and services. Transport and communication also play a big role. The port helps a lot with trade, and it is one of the busiest in Turkey.

Sports

İzmir has hosted many important international sports events. These include basketball games and team championships.

İzmir has several famous football clubs, such as Altay, Göztepe, and Karşıyaka. Karşıyaka's basketball team has won awards. The city also has a successful volleyball club called Arkas Spor.

İzmir has produced many famous athletes over the years. Metin Oktay was a famous football player from İzmir who played in Italy. Other notable athletes from İzmir include Alpay Özalan, who played for a team in England, and Mustafa Denizli, a successful coach.

The İzmir Atatürk Stadium is used for many football matches. The Halkapınar Sport Hall is the city's largest indoor sports venue and hosted games during the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

Government

The İzmir Metropolitan Municipality is the main local government body for the area. It is run by a mayor and a group of 184 councillors who are elected every five years.

İzmir is split into 30 districts, each with its own local government. These help manage services in their areas but do not control important things like public transportation or water. They often work together with the main city government.

The local government in İzmir helps create groups to support the city’s culture. Examples include the İzmir Mediterranean Academy, which focuses on studying nearby cultures, and the İzmir Planning Agency, which works on plans for the city’s future.

Media

İzmir has local TV, radio, and newspapers. There are TV channels and radio stations just for İzmir. TRT Belgesel is a national Turkish TV channel that broadcasts from İzmir.

TV channels broadcasting

Local radio stations

▪Radyo İzmir ▪Romantik Radyo ▪Romantik Türk ▪Radyo 35 ▪Kordon FM ▪İmbat FM ▪Radyo Kordelya ▪Radyo Efe ▪Oynak FM ▪Duygusal FM ▪Sky Radyo ▪Radyo Pause ▪Radyo Ege ▪Ege FM ▪Ege'nin Sesi Radyosu ▪Herkül FM ▪Can Radyo ▪Batı Radyo ▪Radyo Gökkuşağı ▪Yıldız FM ▪Buca FM ▪Radyo Ege Kampüs 100.8 ▪Rock City FM ▪öRT FM ▪Y.Tire FM ▪DEÜ FM

Newspapers and magazines

▪Ege Telgraf Ege Telgraf▪Ekonomik Çözüm ▪Gözlem ▪Haber Ekspres ▪Ticaret ▪ Gazete Yenigün Yenigün Gazetesi - İzmir Haberleri - Son Dakika İzmir Haberleri ▪Yeni Asır ▪Yeni Ekonomi ▪Yenigün Gazetesi ▪9 Eylül Gazetesi İzmir Haberleri | İzmir Haber - Dokuz Eylül ▪Küçük Menderes Gazetesi ▪Büyük Tire ▪Ege Gazetesi Tüm adresleri tek adreste

İzmir in notable literary and artistic works

The play L'impresario delle Smirne by Carlo Goldoni.
The poem "The Turkish Captive" in the poetry volume Les Orientales by Victor Hugo.
The solo piano piece "In Smyrna" by Edward Elgar.
The novel Mask of Dimitrios, Eric Ambler
The film You Can't Win 'Em All, directed by Leo Gordon and starring Tony Curtis and Charles Bronson.
The travel book Scotch and Holy Water, John D. Tumpane
The novel Farewell Anatolia, Dido Sotiriou
The novel İzmir, E. Howard Hunt
The novel Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
The novel/TV series The Witches of Smyrna by Mara Meimaridi
The novel Birds Without Wings, Louis de Bernières

Health

İzmir has some air pollution problems because of cars. There are 21 public hospitals in the city. Turkey has both public and private hospitals. People with a special card can get free medical care in public hospitals.

One of the biggest hospitals in the Aegean area is Izmir City Hospital, located in the Bayraklı district. Eşrefpaşa Hospital is the only municipal hospital in Turkey, run by Izmir City.

Education

İzmir has many places to learn and study. The first university opened in 1944, and more schools have been built since then. Today, İzmir has big schools like Ege University and Dokuz Eylül University. There are also special schools where students can learn in English, like İzmir Institute of Technology.

The city has both public and private universities. Some older schools, such as the İzmir Anatolian Vocational High School of Commerce, have been teaching students since the 1800s. İzmir also has international schools, where children from different countries can study, like the Deutsche Schule Izmir (German school) and Scuola Primaria e dell'Infanzia Italiana di Smirne (Italian school).

Transport

Inter-city transport

Air

The Adnan Menderes International Airport (ADB) has many flights to places in Turkey and other countries. It is located in the Gaziemir area of İzmir.

Bus

There is a big bus station called Otogar in the Pınarbaşı neighborhood. From here, you can take buses to many places in Turkey. Some bus companies also have offices in different parts of the city where you can get picked up for free. There has been talk about building a Halkapınar—Otogar metro line, but it hasn’t started yet.

Rail

İzmir has two old train stations in the city centre: Alsancak Terminal, built in 1858, and Basmane Terminal, built in 1866. These stations are used for trains going to places like Ödemiş, Tire, Selçuk, Aydın, Söke, Nazilli, Denizli, and Uşak, as well as longer trips to Ankara, Afyon, and Bandırma.

Inner-city transport

Public transportation in İzmir was organized in 1999. There is a special card called the İzmirim Kart (‘My İzmir’ Card) that you can use for many types of transport, like trains, buses, ferries, and trams.

Bus

Most parts of İzmir have buses that are part of a big system called ESHOT. ESHOT runs many bus lines with lots of buses. There are also some private buses and smaller buses called dolmuş that help people get around.

Urban ferries

Since 2000, İzmir’s ferries have been run by the city’s government. There are ferries that go between places in the city, and in the summer, there are special trips to places further away. Ferries are a cheap and fun way to travel around İzmir.

Metro

The metro in İzmir is run by the city government. It has one line, M1, that goes from Kaymakamlık to Evka 3 in Bornova. This line is long and carries many people every day.

There are plans to add more lines, like M2, which is being built and should be ready soon. Other lines like M3, M4, and M5 are also planned.

Regional rail

Main article: İZBAN

İZBAN is a train system that connects different parts of İzmir. It is the busiest commuter train system in Turkey, with many people using it every day. İZBAN started in 2010 and now has a long track with many stations.

İZBAN A.Ş. runs the trains and is owned partly by the Turkish government and partly by İzmir’s city government.

Tram

Main article: Tram İzmir

İzmir has a new tram system with three lines: one in Karşıyaka, one in Konak, and one in Çiğli.

Public transportation statistics

People in İzmir spend time each day using public transport to get to work. On average, they wait a little while for a bus, train, or ferry. Most trips are not too long, but some people travel farther.