Kadifekale

Kadifekale - velvet castle - crowns Mount Pagos, the hill behind İzmir, on the site where Smyrna was refounded in the late fourth century BCE, traditionally at Alexander's instruction after a dream. The walls standing today are a layering of Hellenistic foundations, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman rebuilding, enclosing a large open interior with cisterns, a stretch of vaulted substructure and fig trees growing out of the ramparts. Nothing is restored to any polish and interpretation is minimal. What brings people up is the view: the whole of İzmir spread below, the gulf running west, the ferries crossing, and the mountains beyond - it is the best vantage point over the city and a standard sunset spot. There are tea gardens inside the walls. The neighbourhood on the way up is poor and has a mixed reputation; going by taxi or bus in daylight and not lingering after dark is the sensible approach.

What you actually see

• The layered walls - Hellenistic through Ottoman fabric.
• The cisterns - vaulted water structures inside the enclosure.
• The bay panorama - İzmir and the gulf laid out below.
• The tea gardens - tables inside the ramparts.

When to go

April to June and September to October, in the late afternoon for the light over the gulf. Daylight hours only.

Honest expectations

The site is unrestored and largely uninterpreted - it is walls and a view. The surrounding neighbourhood is rough; take a taxi or bus rather than walking up, and leave before dark.

Nearby

The Agora of Smyrna is on the slope below; Kemeraltı and Konak are at the bottom.