Izmir
Old and Wise
A city wanted by all big empires of history, İzmir is the third biggest city in Turkey, if not the second biggest port after Istanbul. The 5000 years old Smyrna is now a modern and intriguing city populated by over 4millions of cosmopolite inhabitants. Very different people found İzmir attractive over the ages and the city has always been governed by fresh inspirations which stemmed from the location of its center and the readiness of its citizens to adopt novelties and new projects.
The wide boulevards, glass-fronted buildings and modern shopping centres all dotted with traditional red-tiled roofs, the 18th century market, old mosques and churches, gives İzmir the feeling of more of a Mediterranean European city rather than traditional Turkey.
The refreshing breeze from the Aegean makes Izmir a particulary liveable destination. The mixture of entertainment and culture present in Izmir is second only to Istanbul. cosmopolitan and lively city gets even busier during the International Izmir Festival (mid-June to mid-July) with music and dance, with performances also in nearby Cesme and Ephesus.
A city wanted by all big empires of history, İzmir is the third biggest city in Turkey, if not the second biggest port after Istanbul. The 5000 years old Smyrna is now a modern and intriguing city populated by over 4millions of cosmopolite inhabitants. Very different people found İzmir attractive over the ages and the city has always been governed by fresh inspirations which stemmed from the location of its center and the readiness of its citizens to adopt novelties and new projects.
The wide boulevards, glass-fronted buildings and modern shopping centres all dotted with traditional red-tiled roofs, the 18th century market, old mosques and churches, gives İzmir the feeling of more of a Mediterranean European city rather than traditional Turkey.
The refreshing breeze from the Aegean makes Izmir a particulary liveable destination. The mixture of entertainment and culture present in Izmir is second only to Istanbul. cosmopolitan and lively city gets even busier during the International Izmir Festival (mid-June to mid-July) with music and dance, with performances also in nearby Cesme and Ephesus.
