The vaulted galleries
The basilica's undercroft still has water running through it and is the coolest, most striking part of the site.
Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Rəcəb Yaxşı — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rəcəb Yaxşı — CC BY-SA 4.0
A few hundred metres uphill from Izmir's old bazaar, ten minutes on foot from Konak Square, water still runs through a Roman stone channel that is roughly eighteen centuries old. That channel, not the columns, is what earns the Agora of Smyrna its ticket: the vaulted undercroft of the Roman basilica is intact to a degree that surprises anyone used to archaeological sites as piles of masonry baking in the sun. This was the market and civic square of ancient Smyrna, first laid out in the 4th century BC and rebuilt on the orders of Marcus Aurelius after the earthquake of AD 178. What stands today is the three-storey north stoa that served as a basilica for courts and trade, the western colonnade with its Corinthian capitals, the Faustina Gate named for the emperor's wife, and the vaulted ground level where the shops and stores were. Digging began in the early 1930s and has never really finished; the site sits inside the 'Historical Port City of Izmir' file that has been on UNESCO's tentative list since 2020. By the standards of Ephesus or Pergamon it is small, and an hour is genuinely enough, which is exactly what makes it an easy city stop rather than a day out. The upper level has almost no shade: in July or August start in the cool galleries and work upwards, or arrive at opening time. Paths are paved and fine for children, and a pushchair copes with the upper level, but the galleries are reached by steps, which also matters for anyone who finds walking hard. It pairs best with Kemeraltı: do the agora in the morning, then drop down to the bazaar for lunch, or climb from here to Kadifekale to see the whole site from above. Admission is 6 EUR for foreign visitors; the Turkish Müzekart is citizens-only, but the site is included in the Museum Pass The Aegean if Ephesus and Pergamon are on the same trip.
The basilica's undercroft still has water running through it and is the coolest, most striking part of the site.
The arch named for Marcus Aurelius's wife is the best spot for a photo that puts the columns against the modern city behind.
The re-erected row of Corinthian columns that appears in every picture of the site.
Namazgah Mah., Tarık Sarı Sk. No:29, Konak
Kemeraltı BazaarThe lanes you thread today between gold shops and spice sacks were, four centuri6 min walk4.3
İzmir Clock TowerThis is the image İzmir chooses for itself: it is the emblem of the Metropolitan10 min walk4.8
Konak SquareA 25-metre marble clock tower, put up in 1901 to mark twenty-five years of Sulta10 min walk4.5
KadifekaleThis is the hill, 186 metres above the centre of İzmir, where Lysimachus, one of11 min walk4.1
İzmir Archaeological MuseumThe star exhibit was never dug up; it was hauled out of the sea. A bronze runner13 min walk4.3Ephesus is far bigger and richer, and if your Izmir time is short it comes first. But the agora needs only an hour and sits in the city centre next to the bazaar, so with a spare half day it is an easy, cheap stop, and the underground galleries in particular have no equivalent at Ephesus.
Largely yes: the site is small, the paths are paved, and children enjoy the dark galleries and the running water. A pushchair manages the upper level, but the galleries are reached by steps. In summer go at opening time, as the upper level has no shade.
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