Agora of Smyrna

The Agora of Smyrna is the most substantial surviving ancient monument within central İzmir. It was the marketplace and civic centre of the Greek and Roman city of Smyrna, and excavations ongoing since the 1930s have revealed a remarkable complex of colonnades, galleries, and civic buildings beneath the modern city streets.

The site is open to visitors and the highlights are impressive: the western colonnade with its two-storey arcade of Corinthian columns, a vaulted basement gallery that is exceptionally well preserved, and statues of Poseidon and Demeter that were recovered here (originals now in the Archaeological Museum). Allow an hour or more; the site is underexplored by most visitors to İzmir and is never crowded.

things to do sight kemeralti
A story
The Agora of Smyrna was originally built in the fourth century BCE but the structure visible today dates primarily from the second century CE, after a major earthquake in 178 CE devastated the city. The Emperor Marcus Aurelius ordered its reconstruction, and the Roman architect who rebuilt it created something grander than the original Greek marketplace — including a two-storey colonnade on the western side that is among the best preserved in the world. Marcus Aurelius also contributed financially and personally intervened with the Senate to ensure funding for the reconstruction.