About İzmir - Türkiye
Türkiye
The Republic of Türkiye,
is a country mainly in Anatolia in West Asia, with a smaller
part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to
the north; the Mediterranean Sea to the south; and the
Aegean Sea to the west. Türkiye bridges Southeastern
Europe and Western Asia. Asian part is separated from
European part by the Bosphorus, the Sea of Marmara,
and the Dardanelles.
Türkiye is subdivided
into 81 provinces for administrative purposes. Each province is divided into
districts, for a total of 973 districts. Türkiye is also subdivided into 7
regions and 21 subregions for geographic, demographic and economic
measurements, surveys and classifications; this does not refer to an
administrative division.
Ankara is Türkiye's
capital and second-largest city; İstanbul is its largest city, and its
economic and financial center, as well as the largest city in Europe. Other
major cities include İzmir, Bursa and Antalya.
Türkiye is a presidential republic within a
multi-party system. The official language is Turkish, which is the most widely
spoken Turkic language in the world. It is spoken by
85% of the population as a first language. Türkiye is
a secular state with no official state religion; the constitution provides for
freedom of religion and conscience. Islam is the dominant religion.
With a geopolitically significant location, Türkiye is a regional power.
The Beauty of the Aegean
"Beautiful İzmir" draws you into
a world of picturesque modernity and traditions, with its refreshing touches to
human souls. İzmir hypnotizes visitors in an aura of history and
modernity.
İzmir, ancient Smyrna, is located at a
point where the Anatolian Peninsula extends into the Aegean Sea.
İzmir is one of the oldest cities with continuous
settlement for 8500 years. Yeşilova and nearby Yassı Tepe Mounds are the
oldest Neolithic settlements where idols and symbols of the Mother Goddess have
been found. One of the founding legends of İzmir states that the city was founded by the legendary Amazon Queen Smyrna. The city dates back to the third millennium BCE (at Tepekule, modern Bayraklı)
and was one of the most advanced civilizations of its time, along with ancient Troia Western Anatolia.
The ancient historian Herodotus wrote:
"They built their city under the loftiest dome of heaven and the best
climate in the world." Aristotle told his student Alexander the Great,
"You are not complete unless you have seen it," and Victor Hugo
describes the city as "İzmir is a princess adorning a necklace."
Known throughout Türkiye
as "Beautiful İzmir", the city surrounds a large bay adorned by
yachts, ships and ferries. As the terminus of the ancient "King's
Road" that runs across Anatolia to Persian Gulf, İzmir remains a
focal point of tourism and entertainment. Its streets are shaded by palm trees,
the sidewalks are beautiful and the houses elegant. The city's coastline is known for its seafood restaurants along the coast as well
as its cafes, restaurants serving Aegean Cuisine and other leisure facilities,
while the hinterland is rich in ruins and monuments that tell the stories of
countless ancient civilizations.
İzmir is the sound of the sea and the
wind. Thanks to its Mediterranean climate, İzmir is mostly sunny all year
round. Summers are hot and winters are mild. With its cities and historical
sites such as Bergama, Çeşme, Foça, Kemalpaşa, Selçuk, Seferihisar, Karaburun, Tire and Urla,
İzmir plays a very important role in the history not only of Western Türkiye but in the entire Aegean. With a total coastline of
629 kilometers, İzmir also promises a life in contact with the sea. In
İzmir, you can enjoy the sea by walking in Kordon
or taking a ferry from Alsancak to Karşıyaka, or you can explore the bluest waters
at 49 blue flag beaches. This makes the city a very popular destination for the
beaches where you can find every shade of blue and enjoy all kinds of water
sports.
Things to do in İzmir!
Sit on the grass at Alsancak
Kordon... The waterfront of İzmir is known as the "Kordon”. Alsancak is one of the most beautiful spots along the
entire coast, perfect for people-watching as you walk
by and relax on the grass. Cafes line the entire strip and you can even pick up
a cup of tea from one of these cafes and relax on the grass while you drink it.
İzmir is a relaxed city and relaxing by
the sea is one of the pleasures that residents afford. Gather some friends and look out over the Aegean Sea and the people passing by
and just enjoy the atmosphere of this great city.
Eat "boyoz"
for breakfast... Boyoz is a local pastry that you
will find pretty much exclusively in İzmir. It's
possible to find it everywhere in İzmir and it's one of the most popular
and common breakfast pastries.
It originated from Sephardic Jewish bakers who
spoke Ladino, an Ottoman language spoken by the Jewish population and very
similar to Spanish. The etymology comes from the Spanish word
"bollos" which means buns.
Any bakery or café in İzmir will have boyoz and you can try its crispy outside and chewy inside
when you visit the city.
Eat "kumru"
at least once... Kumru is a local İzmir sandwich
that's typically made on a sesame bun with tomatoes,
pickles, peppers, and İzmir tulum cheese.
Ketchup, mayonnaise, sausage, salami, and kaşar
cheese are then cooked into it so that it's a full sandwich
with loads of flavor. It is not necessarily a light snack, but it certainly is
delicious!
It takes its name, which literally means "collared dove" from the shape of the bun
which resembles that of a dove.
Get on a ferry... The primary ports from which
ferries depart are Bostanlı, Üçkuyular,
Konak and Karşıyaka.
The ferries go between each other all day long and are used
for commutes and just to get around different areas of the city. This makes the
ferries one of the best ways to admire the Gulf upon which İzmir sits and
enjoy the beautiful Aegean Sea.
Take a walk along the coast of Karşıyaka... This is the best spot in İzmir
to watch the sunset. There's almost always a nice cool
breeze, so in the summer it's truly pleasant and the whole district feels like
a resort. There are palaces and mansions all around Karşıyaka
and an evening here is the most relaxing and enjoyable way to wind the day down
in İzmir.
Go to nearby holiday areas such as Foça, Urla, Alaçatı
and Çeşme... Where do the people of İzmir go
on vacation? Close to home, of course! There are great places for water sports
with luxury and boutique hotels to have the holiday of your dreams within
driving distance of city center.
Take a bike trip between Bostanlı
& Sasalı... This is a flat
course that stretches out over 18 kilometers. There are plenty of places
to rent bicycles and the bike paths start Bostanlı
Pier and stretch all the way to the nature park in Sasalı.
Walk around İzmir’s
Bird Sanctuary... After Sasalı, just keep biking
along to the Bird Paradise of İzmir. Pelicans, flamingos, kingfishers, and
many other birds are local to İzmir and are protected
in these wetlands. Each year around 50,000 birds stop here along their
migration patters.
Take selfies in İzmir Clock Tower and
taste the "Dibek Kahve"
in Kızlarağası Hanı... This is
essentially a ritual at this point. If you visit İzmir, take a picture at
the clock tower. And the Kızlarağası
Han in the Konak district is a wonderful place to shop in a han
built in 1774, with some of the best Turkish coffee you'll ever taste. The
coffee beans are ground with a proprietary blend of carob, terebinths, cocoa, zahter, coffee cream and sahlep
to create an incomparable taste.
Enjoy the view from the historic elevator...
The elevator tower between Mithatpaşa Street and
Şehit Nihatbey was built in 1907 to make the walk between the two much
easier than the 155 steps otherwise required. The elevator is functional and
there is a cafeteria on the upper floor where you can admire the view of the whole fascinating city while having a cup of tea on the
balcony.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Cumhuriyet Bulvarı No: 144 35210 Alsancak / İZMİRPhone: +90(232) 412 12 12 - Fax: +90 (232) 464 81 35
