Panoramic Izmir

Familiarize yourself with the historical delights of Turkey’s third-largest city, known as Smyrna in antiquity. Visit Izmir’s Museum of History and Art to browse classical sculptures and artifacts collected during excavations in and near the city. You’ll marvel at the open-air Smyrna agora, now called the Izmir Agora Museum, which was the commercial, judicial and political hub of the ancient metropolis and its center for artistic activities and teaching. Discover the base of the northern basilica gate, the ancient shopping center and the stoa, or portico. You’ll find the Hellenistic structure was rebuilt in the 2nd century during the Roman era after its destruction in AD 178 by an earthquake. Learn that its reconstruction, under the emperor Marcus Aurelius, followed a plan drawn by Hippodamos, considered the father of European urban design. At the 18th-century Kizlaragasi Hani Bazaar, one of the oldest markets in the city, you’ll relish free time to browse, savor a cup of Turkish coffee or perhaps find a perfect memento of your foray into Izmir’s ancient past.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Explore Izmir’s Museum of History and Art, one of the country’s richest repositories of ancient artifacts.
• Roam the open-air Izmir Agora Museum, site of an ancient agora that was Smyrna’s heart.
• See vestiges of stunning freestanding colonnades and covered walkways known as stoa.
• Enjoy time on your own at the 18th-century Kizlaragasi Hani Bazaar to shop or sip a Turkish coffee.