“The ancient city of Smyrna, which gave its name to İzmir, was established on a small promontory extending toward the Aegean Sea, on the southern slopes of Mount Yamanlar (ancient Sipylos). Situated along a bay shielded from the north wind and featuring a natural harbor, this elevation has been one of the most important settlement areas in the Gulf of İzmir since the Early Bronze Age. Over time, with the accumulation of settlements built on top of it, this mound—known today as Tepekule (formerly Hacı Mutso)—rose 21 meters above sea level. However, due to alluvial deposits and sea level changes, it has now become a hill approximately 600 meters away from the sea.”
In the lines written by Prof. Dr. Cumhur Tanrıver, who had led the excavations at Old Smyrna between 2014 and 2025, fascinating and significant details about one of İzmir’s oldest settlements, Old Smyrna, are highlighted. When we follow this curiosity, we are led to a highly intriguing historical adventure involving the famous poet Homer and the legendary King Tantalos.
References in works written during Antiquity to Homer’s being from Smyrna and the city’s being the land of Tantalos have drawn European travelers to research this region specifically since the 18th century. One of these travelers, Louis François Sébastien Fauvel, mentioned the city’s location for the first time in his letters. Other travelers who visited the area for research purposes include Anton Prokesch von Osten in 1825 and Charles Texier in 1826. Franz Miltner’s work in 1930 definitively determined the location of the city. However, the primary source of scientific knowledge about Old Smyrna comes from systematic archaeological excavations initiated in 1948 by J. M. Cook and Ekrem Akurgal, which continue to this day.
Findings from archaeological excavations date the first settlement in Old Smyrna to around 3.000 BCE. Emerging as a port city during this period, Old Smyrna demonstrates that İzmir has been a port city for over 5.000 years and also highlights its significant commercial relations between the Aegean world and the inner regions of Anatolia. Pottery fragments and silver jewelry found during the excavations are considered evidence of intense trade relations and the advanced administrative organization structure that developed as a result.
Located within the boundaries of today’s Bayraklı district, Old Smyrna greets thousands of İzmir residents passing by every day while also awaiting greater recognition from people.