All about Izmir

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AGORA:
Revealed in central İzmir during excavations carried out in 1932-1941 in the district of Namazgah. covering an area of 120 x 80 m, the Agora throws invaluable light on Roman period İzmir. It was not only a market place, but the location of public institutions and the Temple of Zeus. The Agora is open to the public between 9.00 -12.00 and 13.00 -18.00. The statues found here are on exhibit in İzmir Archaeological Museum. South of Konak Square in Bahri Baba Park, İzmir, Turkey - Tel: +90 (0)232-4848324 - This museum houses many fine sculptures and antiquities discovered in Izmir and other neighbouring ancient cities.


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ALSANCAK:
An Ottoman Balcony in Alsancak

A select neighbourhood with a unique character in modern İzmir. Stretching from the waterfront esplanade inland most of the area has been transformed into a pedestrian precinct, so there is no traffic to disturb shoppers and strollers.

The streets lined by modern buildings and attractive shops lead onto the square where Alsancak station stands. Dating from 1858 the colonial architecture of the station distinguishes it in style from the rest of the city. Trains to Buca, Aydın and Denizli depart from here. The old part of town can be found in the backstreets behind the sea promenard


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ANGLICAN CHURCH:
This church was built in 1835 by Levantines of English extraction living in Buca. The church is famous for its wood carving, beautiful stained glass windows and huge organ.


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ASANSÖR:
The city's famous public elevator, and a symbol of İzmir. This elevator links Mithatpaşa street below with Halil Rifat Paşa street at the summit of the precipitous hill. It was built in 1907 and restored by the municipality in 1993. The upper terrace has a breathtaking view over the city and the bay. Here there is an open-air cafe, a restaurant and a Genoese tavern.


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BALÇOVA:
This spa is on the outskirts of İzmir on the road to Urla and Çeşme. Turn left at İnciraltı crossroads to reach Balçova thermal springs one kilometer down the road. Known as the Agamemnon Springs in antiquity, this may have been the first hydrotherapy center of the ancient world. Today there are modern facilities for visitors to the hot springs and luxury hotels. The temperature of the water is 63 degrees C.


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BARLAR SOKAĞI:
Street of Bars. Some of the attractive old houses under conservation order in Alsancak now house bars and restaurants.


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BASMANE:
In this district are İzmir's old-fashioned shopping streets, the park where the famous İzmir Fair is held each September, and Basmane station. The trains to Manisa, and suburban rail buses to Bornova and other destinations leave from this station. Main line trains leave for Ankara and İstanbul


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BORNOVA:
A house in Bornova - İzmir
A suburb of İzmir, Bornova was the hub of the Levantine community in the late l9th and 20th centuries. Today it houses the campus of Ege University.

The İzmir - Manisa road passes through Bornova, which is linked to the city centre by a 7 km railway line.

It is situated at the Manisa and main Ankara crossroads. It has many upper class type houses in standing their own gardens.


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BUCA:
Once İzmir's summer resort, Buca is today part of the city. Buca is today a commercial and university district. The British Levantine merchants who ran businesses in İzmir from the late l8th century onward s built imposing mansions here. Not until the 1950s did Buca undergo radical change as various institutions moved into the mansions, whose extensive gardens are under conservation. The fanous Buca prison - (Film: Midnight Express) - is here opposite the İzmir racecourse which runs in the winter season only.


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CLIMATE:
Typical mediterranean climate, with hot dry summers and warm wet winters. The average temperature is 18 degrees C. Snowfall is extremely rare, and approximately 148 days of the year are clear and sunny.


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CLOCK TOWER:
The Clocktower at Konak
Another symbol of the city, this picturesque clock tower in Konak Meydan was built in 1901 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Abduhamit II's accession to the throne. The clock itself was a gift of Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany.

The Clock Tower is to be found right at the entrance to The Kemeraltı Market area and is quite near to the ASENSÖR - also you can walk across the road and tha local central bus teminus is just a few yards away. You can get a corporation bus to almost any part of Greater Izmir and its environs. If you walk up to the seaside (about 200m - then you arrive at Konak Feribot İstasyonu and can take regular ferries to Karşıyaka or Bostanlı


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ÇEŞME:
This popular and attractive resort west of İzmir is famous for its modern hotels, sparkling clean sea and wonderful sandy beaches. It is on a peninsular and is a dormatory weekend spa for İzmir.


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ÇİPURA:
The Çipura

İzmir's legendary fish. Found widely in both the Mediterranean and Aegean, this delicious fish with a dark blue back and silvery sides is now extensively farmed.

Go into any of İzmir's many sea food restaurants and order grilled Çipura, accompanied by a salad of diverse local herbs and pure olive oiI. What could be more sublime!

Ege ve Akdenizin bu namlı balığı Marmarada seyrek bulunur. Ortalama 25 - 35 cm. boy ve 0,5 - 3 kg. ağırlıktadır. 60 cm. ve 6 kg. olanlarıda seyrek olarak görülebilir. Etçil bir balıktır. Kuvvetli çenesiyle küçük kabukluları, balıkları ve diğer hayvanları kolayca yer. Yaz devresinde sığlarda, kış aylarında da 35 - 40 m. Derinliklerde yaşar. İki yaşın üzerindekiler daha da derinlere iner. üremeleri Ekim - Aralık aylarında olur. 100,000 - 150,000 yumurta döker. Eti çok lezzetlidir. Ayrıca üretim kültürüne uygunluğu nedeniyle ekonomik değeri çok yüksektir.

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DOKUZ EYLÜL:
9 September l922... The day when İzmir was liberated from three years of Greek occupation following the Great Attack launched by the Turkish army on 26th August. One of the major events ln the Turkish War of Independence, this date is the name of one of the city's universities.


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EPHESUS - (EFES):
The Roman Library at Ephesus

An ancient city three km from the town of Selçuk south of İzmir. During both the Hellenistic and Roman periods Ephesus was the most important port and cultural centre of the eastern world. The remains of the city are still spellbinding today.

The magnificent temples, public buildings, villas and streets ot Ephesus have been excavated and restored by the Austrian Archaeological Institute, and it requires little effort to imagine the cily as it was in its heyday.

The best way to visit is start from the back gate - then you can walk down all day and not get tired. Most tours take you to the front gate - but you have to walk uphill all day...


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ESKİ FOÇA:
A picturesque fishing town 50 km north of İzmir. A magnet for holliday makers during summer today, Foça was an important Ionian town in antiquity. The Phokaians were famed for their commercial prowess, courage and seamanship. They established trading cololnies at distant ports, and were the founders of the French port of Marseilles (the ancient Massalia).


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HİSAR CAMİİ - (MOSQUE):
The city's most magnificent mosque in the district of Hisar next to Kemeraltı office complex. The mosque was built by Yaküp Bey in 1592. It is roofed by a large dome resting on eight piers, and noted for the decoration on the altar niche and pulpit.


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HOUSE OF THE VIRGIN MARY:
This holy Christian shrine on Mt.Bülbül (Nightingale Mount) between Selçuk and Ephesus was sanctifìed by Pope Paul VI in 1967, after the Vatican confirmed that the Virgin Mary had spent the last years of her life here. Numerous travel agencies in İzmir organise day tours to the House of the Virgin Mary and Ephesus.


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İMBAT:
The sea breeze which brings relief to İzmir's inhabitants in the blazing heat of high summer.


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İZMİR FUAR:
Since I932 this international trade fair has been the highlight of the summer season in İzmir. From late August to end of September the fair doubles as a popular festival of music and stage events in the Culture Park.


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İZMİR KÖFTE:
İzmir Köfte (meatballs)

İzmir's best known local dish, now popular almost everywhere in Turkey. But to enjoy it at its finest you must eat it at the house of an İzmir family or in an old fashioned backstreet restaurant in the city.

Finely minced meat is kneaded with onion juice, salt, pepper and fresh breadcrumbs. Shaped into balls or fingers this mixture is fried, and placed on a bed of fried green peppers, tomatoes and potatoes in a shallow pan. Serve hot.



İZMİR KÖFTE RECETESİ - (RECIPE)
MALZEMELER: - INGREDIENTS:
500 gr. kıyma - 500gr. ground lamb
4 dilim bayat ekmek içi - 4 slices crumbed stale bread (white only)
2 adet kurusoğanın özel suyu - The juice of 2 cooking onions
2 diş sarımsak - 2 cloves of garlic - crushed
1 adet yumurta - 1 egg
1 çay kaşığı kimyon - 1 teaspoon cumin
ince kıyılmış maydonoz - finely chopped parsley
yağ - cooking oil
SOSU İÇİN: - FOR THE SAUCE:
2 çorba kaşığı domates salçası - 2 soup spoons concentrated tomato paste
2 çorba kaşığı un - 2 soup spoons flour
2 çorba kaşığı teryağ - 2 soup spoons butter
2 su bardağı su - 2 tumblers water
tuz - salt
YAPİLİŞİ: - METHOD:
Yumurta hariç tüm malzemeyi yoğurun. Sonra yumurtayı da ilave edin, yoğurun. Ceviz büyüklüğünde kopartıp avuç arasında oval hale getirin. Orta ateşte pişirin. Bir tavada unu, yağı kavurun. Domates salçası, su ve tuz ekleyip kaynatın. Köftelerin üzerine dökün. Servis sıcak yapın.
For the Meatballs: - Knead all ingedients together except the egg. Then add the egg and knead again. Cut off pieces about walnut-size and roll between the palms into an oval meatball. Cook then on a medium heat in some oil.
For the sauce: - Heat the flour and butter in a frying-pan. Add the tomato-paste, water and salt and cook to a sauce. Drizzle the sauce over the cooked meaballs and serve hot on a bed of fried potato, fried green pepper and grilled fresh tomato.
Afiyet olsun - Bon apetit


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KADİFEKALE:
Velvet Castle, to be literal. This 4th century BC castle commands a bird's eye view of Izmir and is th perfect place to watch the sun set over the city. Do not visit after twilight as it is the home of feral dogs.


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KARŞIYAKA:
Karşıyaka
The name of this district of İzmir on the north shore off the Gulf of İzmir means - "Opposite Shore", as indeed it is. The inhabitants of this pleasant residential area with its own esplanade claim an identity distinct from the rest of the city.

In their view, Karşıyaka is a town in its own right with an individual cultulre and history.

Take the ferry boat over from Konak and walk up the main street to the railway station. You can have tea in the lovely cafe on the platform - and if you are lucky you can return to Basmane in central İzmir on the train around the Gulf.


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KEMERALTI:
The old fashioned shopping district of İzmir, consisting of narrow streets winding their way from Konak towards central İzmir around Anafartalar Caddesi. Here you can find jewellers, drapers, shoemakers, and shops specialising in all kinds of goods from leather to olives and cheese. The atmosphere of an earlier century still pervades the buildings here, with their distinctive 19th century doorways and roof tiles.


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KORDON:
The famous esplanade between Konak Meydan and Alsancak is packed with promenaders on weekends and fine evenings. As families and young lovers hand in hand stroll along the waterfront, horse-drawn phaetons with colourful ponpons swinging from the harnesses trot past, and cars cruise by. İzmir's esplanade is the subject of a popular old song: "My lover used to say, Let us meet on the Kordon one day, Perhaps at ten o'clock."


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LOKMA:
Lokma is İzmir's celebrated sweet pastry. Tiny balls of yeast dough are fried in hot oil and steeped in syrup as you wait. Queues of customers gather at the stalls where the best lokma is made.


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PASAPORT:
(Not a printing error, but the Turkish for "Passport"). The name for the dock and pier between Konak and Cumhuriyet Meydan. Pasasaport Dock was built in 1876. The dock building is in the Turkish revival style inspired by Ottoman and Selçuk architecture which was popular in the 1920s and 1930s. Until not so long ago the area was full of old fashioned coffee houses which served hookars (nargile) as well as tea and coffee, but today pubs have supplanted most of them.


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BERGAMA -(PERGAMUM):
The Ampitheater at Bergama

The remains of this magnificent ancient city are situated north of İzmir. Founded in the early 3rd century BC, Pergamum was the most powerful and extensive kingdom of Western Anatolia throughout the Hellenistic periold. Parchment is though to have been invented here. On the hill which rises steeply in the centre of Pergamum is the Acropolis and the world's steepest amphitheatre with seating for 16,000 people. The remains of temples Of Athena and Dionysus. The splendid altar of Zeus at the entrance of the Acropolis was taken to Berlin Museum by Carl Humann in 1871. A flight of 20 steps leads up to this remarkable structure, which dwarfs the room at Berlin Museum, as it awaits expectantly the day when it will be released from confinement and return to its hilltop site in Pergamum.The ruins of the Asclepion on the plain below reveal almost all the original features as a result of the excavations. Named after the god of medicine Asclepios, this complex was one of the foremost heath centers of the ancient world.


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SELÇUK:
A town in the foothills of the Aydın mountains 94 km south of İzmir. Selçuk is the site of Ephesus Museum, a magnificent castle and the 6th century Basilica of St.John. The road to the resorts of Marmaris and Bodrum passes through Selçuk, while Kuşadası, port of call for many yachts and cruise liners, is just a twenty minute drive to the north.


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SMYRNA:
The ancient name for İzmir and the heroic Amazon who founded the city according to Herodotus and Strabon.


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TEOS:
The ruins of Teos are set amidst olive groves at one end of Siğacık harbour near Şeferihisar, famous for its beaches and thermal springs. Thales relates that Teos was selected as capital of the league of twelve Ionian cities in the 7th century BC. The largest temple of Dionysus ever built in Teos.


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TEPEKÜLE:
Excavations at Tepeküle in the district of Bayraklı have thrown light on İzmir's early history. İzmir was oriinally a settlement of the Aeolians, who were conteporaries of the first Trojans, and dates back to the third miilenium BC. The city was subsequently occupied by the Ionians, and the Lydian King Alyattes conquered the region in 600 BC, razing İzmir's temples and houses. Today the ruins of the Temple of Athena and houses can be seen at Tepeküle.


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URLA:
Urla is a resort 42 km from İzmir on the road to Çeşme. İzmirliler (the residents of İzmir) spend their summers and weekends here, the site of the ancient Ionian city of Klazomenai. This city was the birthplace of the illustrious philosopher Anaxogoras, and is latterly also famous for a local pastry dish - katmer - [a kind of flap-jack] - and for its meat and fish restaurants.


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WILD HERBS:
Dishes made with fresh herbs have a special place in the Aegean cuisine. When spring comes local markets are filled with green vegetables, many of them local wild varieties gathered from meadows and mountains, such as radika, turpotu, hardalotu, and cibes (the first shoots of cauliflower) and many more. The leaves are washed, blanched and served with a dressing of lemon juice and olive oil.