all about izmir - city of izmir turkey

Izmir, historically Smyrna, is the third most populous city of Turkey and the country's largest port after Istanbul. It is located in the Gulf of Izmir, by the Aegean Sea. It is the capital of Izmir Province. The city of Izmir is composed of 9 metropolitan districts. These are Balçova, Bornova, Buca, Çigli, Gaziemir, Güzelbahçe, Karsiyaka, Konak and Narlidere. Each district, and often also the neighborhoods within, possesses distinct features and a particular temperament. The 2000 population of this urban zone was 2,409,000 and the 2005 estimate is 3,500,000.
Izmir is inheritor of almost 3500 years of urban past, and possibly up to that much more in terms of advanced human settlement patterns. It is Turkey's first port for exports and its free zone, a Turkish-U.S. joint-venture established in 1990, is the leader among the twenty that Turkey counts. Its workforce, and particularly its rising class of young professionals, concentrated either in the city or in its immediate vicinity (such as in Manisa), and under either larger companies or SME's, affirm their name in increasingly wider global scale and intensity. Izmir is widely regarded as one of the most liberal Turkish cities in terms of values, ideology, lifestyle, dynamism and gender roles. It is a stronghold of the Republican People's Party.
The city hosts an international arts festival during June/July, and Izmir International Fair, one among the city's many fair and exhibition events, is held in the beginning of September every year. It is served by national and international flights through Adnan Menderes Airport and there is a modern rapid transit line running Southwest to Northeast. Izmir hosted the Mediterranean Games in 1971 and the World University Games (Universiade) in 2005. It has a running bid submitted to BIE to host the Universal Expo 2015, which will be voted in 2008. Modern Izmir also incorporates the nearby ancient cities like Ephesus, Pergamon, Sardis and Klazomenai, and centers of international tourism such as Kusadasi, Çeþme and Foça.
Despite its very advantageous location and its heritage, Izmir suffered, as one author puts it, from "sketchy understanding" in the eyes of outsiders until recently. When the Ottomans took over Izmir in the 15th century, they did not inherit compelling historical memories, unlike the two other keys of the trade network, namely Istanbul and Aleppo. Despite the Turkish preponderance in Izmir's population, its emergence as a major international port as of the 17th century was largely a result of the attraction it exercised over foreigners, who in their turn drew in others. Very different people found Izmir attractive over the ages and the city has always been governed by fresh inspirations, including for the very location of its center, and is quick to adopt novelties and projects. Nevertheless, its successful completion of 2005 Universiade games gave its inhabitants a renewed confidence in themselves, which remains very present in the bid made for Universal Expo 2015.

Location in Turkey

BY ROAD
COACH TERMINALS IN IZMIR
Isikkent Central Bus Station: The terminal, called 'OTOGAR' in Turkish, is situated 12 km.from the city center. Numerous bus companies provide excellent inter-city services at regular intervals 24 hours to all cities around Turkey. Telephone : +90.232. 472 10 10
Üçkuyular Bus Terminal: Only the buses destinations of which are Seferihisar, Gümüldür, Urla, Çesmealti, Karaburun and Çesme depart from Üçkuyular bus terminal.You may take normal buses or mini-buses. Telephone: +90.232. 259 88 62
INTRA-CITY TRANSPORT
For transportation within the city, public transportation facilities are available and easy to access. By purchasing a Kentkart (city-card), on which you can charge as much units (contour) as you please at the many charging kiosks (Kentkart Dolum Noktasý) located around the city. You can then take advantage of the buses, ferryboats and metro (subway) trains.
BY RAILWAY
Transportation by train from Izmir to Istanbul, Ankara, Denizli and Aydin are available all year round.
BY SEA
Ferry lines connect Venice, Brindisi, Bari, Ancona and Greek Island Chios with Izmir and Çesme.
BY AIR
The Izmir Adnan Menderes International Airport provides regular local and international flights to various destinations. It is located 16 km. from the city centre.
TRANSPORTATION BETWEEN ADNAN MENDERES AIRPORT AND IZMIR
By Bus: The Turkish airlines shuttle buses,connected with the Turkish Airlines flights, provide a regular bus service between Adnan Mendres Airport and Ýzmir.
By Taxi: All taxis at the airport have meters. The fare shown on the meter is according to the distance traveled.

IZMIR KÖFTE (Meatballs)
Ingredients
500 gr. Semi-fatty ground meat of mutton
3 tomatoes or 4 tablespoons of saltless tomato paste
4 potatoes
3 tablespoons of oil
inside of 3 slices of bread
an onion
½ bunch of parsley
black pepper
salt
Preparation
Put 2-times-ground meat, grated onion, inside of 3 slices of bread which is wetted and squeezed, salt, black pepper and parsley in a pot.

After mixing and kneading these ingredients, shape them into little meatballs.
Peel the potatoes and cut them in round slices which are as big as a meatball.
Heat the oil in a frying pan, fry the potatoes in this oil and put the fried potatoes in a tray.
Later, fry the meatballs in the same oil and put the fried meatballs on the fried potatoes.
Peel the tomatoes and cut them in cubes. Put the tomatoes or diluted tomato paste in the oil left in the frying pan and roast them for 2 minutes. Later, add ½ glass of water and boil them.
Pour the boiled water into the meatballs in the tray.
Put a lid on the tray and cook it for 15 minutes.
Put the meatballs on the potatoes on a plate and serve the plate.
HAVUÇLU EBEGÜMECI (Mallow with carrot)
INGREDIENTS: 2 bunches of mallow, an onion, 4 cloves of garlic, 2 carrots, a bowl of pounded wheat (wetted before), a tablespoon of olive oil, ½ glass of water, salt, black pepper, yogurt. Preparation: Shell only the leaves of the mallow and wash it. Cut the onion in cubes. While the onions are being fried, add the garlic. Later, add the sliced carrots, salt and black pepper and cook them for 5 minutes without adding any water. After the carrots become soft, put the pounded wheat, mallow and water. Then, cook it on the low heat. Serve it with yogurt.
SAKIZ YAHNISI (Mastic Stew)
Boil the veal. Fry the small onions without cutting them into small pieces in olive oil. Add tomato paste into the boiled veal. Put salt, pepper, cumin, garlic and vinegar into the boiled veal and boil it again. Add the ground mastic in it. If desired, the hull of an orange can be cut into small pieces and put instead of mastic. Good appetite!
RADIKA SALATASI (Radika Salad)
Shell the radikas and wash them. Heat salty water. When it boils, put the radikas into the water. After boiling them for 10 minutes, take the radikas out and strain them. Add olive oil and lemon mixture on it.
DENIZ BÖRÜLCESI SALATASI
Rinse the deniz börülcesi and boil it. Shell the green stems. Put the deniz börülcesi on a plate and pour a mixture of olive oil and lemon on it. Squash the garlic and put it in the salad. Later, serve it.
ALT-ÜST BÖREGI (AÇMALI)
Put some salt, water, flour and a coffee cup of olive oil in a pot and knead. When the dough is ready, make small lumps, roll out the lumps, put some oil between them and put 6 lumps one right after the other. Roll out the lumps which are put one right after the other and put them in a tray. Put a mixture of ground meat, cheese or spinach in it. Roll out another 6 lumps and put them on the other 6 lumps in the same way. After cutting the börek (flaky pastry), oil it with olive oil and put it into the oven. Good appetite.
PÝMPÝRÝM AÞI ½ kg. purslane, 2 tomatoes, 2 potatoes, 3 banana peppers, ½ tea glass of olive oil, 3 tablespoons of rice, salt, red pepper.
Preparation: Cut the purslane in big sizes. Cook the rice in 2 glasses of hot water a little and add the purslane in it. Take the pot from heat when it becomes soft. Roast the onion which is cut in thin pieces and banana peppers with olive oil. Grate the tomatoes and add them. Roast them until the water of the tomatoes boils away. Add some salt. After straining the (surplus of) extra water of the purslane with rice, add it into the tomato mixture. Roast it for 5 minutes by mixing it with a spoon. Serve it by sprinkling some red pepper on it.
TAZE SOGANLI BAHAR YEMEGI (Spring Dish with Spring Onion)
Ingredients: 1 kg. fresh onion, 2 middle-sized carrots, 2 hot peppers, 5 eggs, a bunch of dill, a spoon of cumin, a spoon of black pepper.
Preparation: After cleaning the spring onions and hot peppers, cut them up finely. Peel the carrots and grate them. Roast first the carrots and then the onions and peppers in olive oil. Add dill, cumin, salt and pepper in this mixture. Cover the pot and cook it for 10 minutes. Mix the eggs in another pot. Add the eggs into the mixture in the pan. Put out the heat when the eggs are cooked well. Serve the meal with tomato salad.
LOKMA (friedcake)
The lokma of Izmir is very famous… This dessert is prepared in the following way: The dough with yeast (Put a little tea sugar into the dough) is put in very hot oil. When the dough is taken out of the oil, put some sweet syrup on it. There are queues in front of every place where this dessert is well-prepared.
LOCAL HERBS
The meals of fresh herbs have a very important place in the Aegean cuisine. Once the spring comes, the bazaars of Izmir and the districts of the city are filled with herbs. These herbs are brought from the mountains and the hills and they are sold with great enthusiasm.
There are herbs such as radika, turp otu, hardal otu, cibes (the first buds of a cauliflower) and etc. After the herbs are cleaned and put in boiled water, they are put in a plate when they become soft. Also, lemon and olive oil are added into the salad.
ÇIPURA (Gilt-head bream)
It is the renowned fish of Izmir. Living mostly in the Mediterranean and the Aegean, having a dark blue back, both sides of which being silver and the meat of which being very delicious, this fish is now reproduced in large numbers in the fish houses. Enter a restaurant of sea products in Izmir, order a grilled gilt-head bream and a salad of various herbs of the region which is given a good flavour with olive oil… This is the best; nothing could surpass it.
BOYOZ
Boyoz is the börek (flaky pastry) of Izmir. It is said that it is a flaky pastry of the Jewish people who came to Izmir in 1492. As it is told by Ahmet Uhri and Avram Ventura, all the Jewish people who are Sefarad in origin and who came from Spain know this börek. However, as “boyoz” is sold nowhere except for Izmir, it has become the börek of Izmir.
The dough is prepared by mixing flour, egg, salt and water. When the dough becomes as soft as an ear lobe, it is cut in small balls and left in vegetable oil for half an hour to an hour. Later, it is rolled out by hand. Cheese or something else can be put in the phyllo which is very thin and it is folded. It is put in the oven in a tray. Again, as it is told, the best boyoz, baked in the Jewish bakeries in Kemeraltý in the past, was baked by Boyozcu Avram. After Avram’s death, every boyoz in Izmir was sold as “the boyoz of Avram Usta”.
When the boyoz is eaten with egg which turns to Brown as it is baked in the oven, it is so delicious that one can’t get enough of it.

People coming to Izmir can expect long, hot summers and mild, rainy winters. The total precipitation for Izmir averages 27.8 inches per year; however, 77 percent of that falls during November through March. The average maximum temperatures during the winter months vary between 12C and 14C. Although it's rare, snow has been recorded in Izmir in January and February. The summer months -- June through September - bring average daytime temperatures of 28 C degrees or higher. Many people install fans or air conditioners to cool their apartments. Rain is extremely rare in the summer and you may have to undergo water rationing before the rains come in the fall.

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