The Izmir Basmane District is where you can fine the Izmir train station, also known as the Basmane Station. It is where you catch the Turkish State Railways Regional train to Selcuk, the town next to Ephesus. But it is also the starting point for exploring the Izmir Basmane District in the historic Konak area. If you are in Europe visiting the United Kingdom, France or the Netherlands, make the time to visit Turkey and Izmir.
Over the past few years, the Izmir Basmane District has become a transit point for migrants seeking to cross into Greece and many other European countries by taking the dangerous journey through the Aegean Sea. On one side of the street is a mosque overflowing into the street with refugees. On the other side is Street 1296, filled with colorful hotels and a transitory home to countless guests. This is also an area that police have raided the area several times to collect and confiscate defective or non-working life vests sold to the migrants seeking to live a better life in Europe.
Exploring the Izmir Basmane District takes you to historic Anafartalar Caddesi
As you make your way past the Mosque, heading south on Anafartalar Caddesi (Cd), you stay to the right onto a narrow street. You will find yourself admiring the small shops such as bakeries, restaurants, grocery stores, butcher shops, and more. The road is also home to centuries-old mosques, stone moss keeper inns, and the past’s most expensive hotels.
The oldest maps of Izmir during the Ottoman period display Anafartalar Caddesi. As a result, it is one of the oldest transportation roads of Izmir that reached the Ottoman Empire from the Ancient Age to the Ottoman Empire and afterward.
Exploring the ancient ruins of Smyrna
As you wind your way through Anafartalar Caddesi, turn left at Eşrefpaşa Cd. and walk one block. There you will see the ancient ruins of Smyrna, a Greek city dating back to antiquity. Located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia, this place is now Izmir.
There are two sites of the ancient city within the boundaries of Izmir. One of them is located and viewable from Eşrefpaşa Cd. This site is associated with Alexander the Great, reaching metropolitan proportions during the Roman Empire period. Most of the present-day remains of the ancient city date from the Roman era, the majority from after a 2nd-century AD earthquake. Take a stroll to Smyrna. It’s an excellent historical site and a portal to a time past. To learn more about this ancient city, visit these websites:
- http://www.antiksmyrna.com/88-Kurulus_Tarihce
- http://www.antiksmyrna.com/Default.aspx
- http://www.arkeolojikhaber.com/haber-smyrna-antik-kenti-2226/
Now that you are precisely one kilometer from Basmane Station, you may return by taxi or walk one of several other colorful streets back to the station. Either way, you should be back in 20 minutes or less.
Sources and additional reading to enjoy exploring Basmane District in Izmir’s historical Konak area:
