Symrna Ruins
Smyrna is located on the mound in Bayraklı, İzmir. In ancient times, it was a small peninsula surrounded by the sea on the west and south. Bayraklı Mound, which has an area of approximately one hundred acres, is a small hill built on a plain. The city of Smyrna spreads over a wide area from this mound towards the plain. The first scientific studies in Bayraklı Mound were carried out by Ord. Prof. Dr. Ekrem Akurgal and Prof. Dr. John M. Cook with a delegation consisting of British-Turkish members between 1948-1951. Studies conducted since 1948 reveal that Smyrna, which was founded as an Aiolian city in the 11th century BC, made great strides in the field of architecture, especially between 700-550 BC. Although the Lydian attacks after Gyges' accession to the throne (680 BC) and especially during the time of Alyattes (600 BC) showed that the Lydians always posed a threat to Smyrna, Smyrna experienced its brightest period during these periods. With its city wall, multi-roomed houses with bathrooms, sacred structure, public fountain and geometric textured city plan, Smyrna is an ideal example of a city for the Archaic Period in Western Anatolia. Open to the sea from the west and south, surrounded by mountains to the north and plains to the east, Smyrna is the city with the best-revealed defense system in Western Anatolia. However, it is currently impossible to uncover the early 9th century BC adobe wall surrounding the city and the early 7th century Early Archaic Period stone wall on the west, that is, on the sea side, due to modern construction in these areas.
