Agora of Smyrna

The agora was the civic and commercial centre of Smyrna, first laid out by the Greeks in the fourth century BCE and rebuilt by Marcus Aurelius after an earthquake levelled the city in 178 CE, and what survives is unusual: not just the colonnades at ground level but the basilica's basement, a three-aisled vaulted substructure that runs under the whole northern side and is still standing and walkable, with the Roman water channels working through it. Above are rows of re-erected columns, arches, the remains of shops, statues of Poseidon and Demeter found on site, and a good deal of Roman graffiti - names, drawings, ships and one of the larger collections of ancient graffiti found anywhere, discovered on the basement walls. The site sits in a hollow surrounded by modern apartment blocks in the Namazgah district, which makes the scale of what is buried under the rest of İzmir easy to imagine. Excavation, begun in 1933, continues and sections are periodically fenced; since 2020 the agora has been on Turkey's tentative World Heritage list as part of the historic port city of İzmir.

What to look for

• The vaulted basement - the intact basilica substructure.
• The re-erected colonnades - columns and arches at ground level.
• The Roman graffiti - inscriptions and drawings on the walls.
• The water channels - Roman drainage still running.

When to go

April to June and September to October. Mornings; the site is open and shadeless and İzmir summers are severe.

Before you go

It is a partly excavated site among apartment blocks, with limited interpretation. Areas close for ongoing digging. There is almost no shade, and the walk up from Kemeraltı is steep.

Nearby

Kemeraltı bazaar is downhill; Kadifekale sits on the hilltop above.

Key facts