🏛️ Old Smyrna
Bayraklı Höyüğü — ancient Mediterranean settlement in İzmir
📌 Fast Facts
- Located in modern İzmir, Turkey, on the Aegean coast
- Settlement dates to the 3rd millennium BC, making it one of the Mediterranean's oldest continuously inhabited sites
- Flourished during the Archaic and Classical periods as a major cultural and commercial center
- Now operates as an open-air archaeological site accessible to visitors
Old Smyrna, also known as Bayraklı Höyüğü, is an archaeological site in İzmir, Turkey, representing one of the earliest and most significant settlements in the Eastern Mediterranean. Excavations have revealed layers of occupation spanning millennia, providing crucial evidence for understanding the development of Anatolian civilization. The site's remains include fortification walls, temples, residential structures, and a theater that collectively document the evolution of urban life from ...