The Great Fire of Smyrna
At the turn of the twentieth century, Smyrna, a bustling port city on the Aegean Sea, stood as a beacon of economic and cultural vitality within the crumbling Ottoman Empire. Its distinctive charm lay in its cosmopolitan spirit – a vibrant tapestry of diverse ethnic communities. While Greeks and Turks made up the majority, the city was also home to significant Armenian and Jewish populations, alongside a thriving network of European merchants. Italians were the most numerous among them, but the city also had its share of German, French, and British residents. The locals referred to them simply as Levantines, a medieval term for Westerners.
And then, it all came to a tragic end. The rising tensions between religious communities in the Ottoman Empire led to a series of ethnic purges, forcing the population into stark divisions – Greeks or Turks. Orthodox “Greeks” from Anatolia – many of whom spoke only Turkish – and “Turks” from the Aegean islands – Muslims whose mother tongue was often Greek – were forced to flee their villages, towns, or islands, in search of safety, carrying with them not only the bitterness of exile but also the burning desire for retribution.
This chain of events reached its devastating crescendo in what the Greeks refer to with a single word – “Katastrophe.” The climax came in Smyrna in September 1922, as the victorious army of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk marched into a city already overflown by desperate refugees. Just a few days later, a massive fire broke out, claiming the lives of tens of thousands. To this day, Greeks and Turks continue to blame each other for its outbreak. The flames consumed the Greek and Armenian quarters while the Turkish and Jewish districts remained unscathed.
A hundred years have passed since that moment. Today, the city bears the name Izmir, and appears poised to revive its historic cosmopolitan spirit. With nearly four million inhabitants, Izmir boasts broad boulevards lined with palm trees and towering modern skyscrapers. In Turkey’s complex political landscape, it has emerged as one of the strongest liberal strongholds.
Izmir 2023, traditional city architecture
Yet, much of Izmir still resonates with the charm of its enchanting past, and the city’s central district exudes the atmosphere of bygone eras. The centenary of the Great Fire offers a fitting moment to pause before some of its surviving historic buildings and, through a handful of images, envision the lives of those who once called this place home.
Hans and Bazaars
The part of the city most devastated by the fire was never rebuilt in its original form but was instead transformed into a public “Cultural Park.” However, just south of it, in the Turkish and Jewish quarters of the old city, life carried on, still echoing the rhythms of past centuries. At the heart of commerce stands the Kemeralti Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest open-air markets in the world, where trade has continued – more or less unchanged – since the Hellenistic era.
Wandering through this labyrinth of oriental streets, shops, restaurants, mosques, and synagogues, one must tread carefully. In this maze, a wrong turn could just as easily lead you not into a shop selling counterfeit Louis Vuitton bags, but through the doors of an actual mosque.
Izmir 2023. A typical street in Kemeralti Bazaar
The present-day layout of the bazaar took shape as it expanded around the Street of the Mevlevi Dervishes (now Anafartalar Street), reaching its golden age in the 16th and 17th centuries, when Izmir became the final stop on the late Silk Road. Within the bazaar district, there were dozens – by some historical accounts, even hundreds – of hans, i.e., urban caravanserais. Most have not survived to the present day, but the most striking among them, the Kızlarağası Han, an 18th-century gem, was fully restored in 1995.
Izmir, 2023 – Kızlarağası Han with Hisar Mosque in the background
This han occupies a central position within the Kemeralti Bazaar, housing teahouses and shops, with antique stores being a particular highlight – some even display rare and valuable fossils in their shop windows.
Another restored treasure is the Küçük Karaosmanoğlu Han, also dating from the 18th century, now transformed into a charming hotel in the heart of the bustling bazaar.
However, Izmir’s turbulent past – marked by wars, fires, and earthquakes – has left behind its share of scars. It is clear that not all of the city’s historic buildings will be restored. Scattered throughout Izmir, there are still many captivating family homes, abandoned a century ago. Yet, their fate is inevitable – they will have to be torn down.
Izmir, 2023 – dilapidated, abandoned, traditional family homes
Jewish Cultural Heritage and the Messianic Movement
Jews and crypto-Jews, known as Marranos, settled in old Smyrna in several waves following their expulsion from the Iberian Peninsula. Their descendants would go on to form a significant portion of the city’s population, reaching several tens of thousands at their peak in the 19th century. Over time, most of them emigrated to Israel, leaving only a small Jewish community in modern-day Izmir. Today, they would not be able to restore and maintain the city’s nine synagogues without financial support from the European Union and the German government.
These Izmir synagogues are unassuming from the outside – often little more than ordinary houses, clustered close together, blending into the dense fabric of Kemeralti Bazaar, where they stand hidden among shops and mosques. The largest among them was the Portuguese Synagogue, founded in the 16th century by Marranos expelled from Portugal.
Izmir 2023, the entrance to the Portuguese Synagogue
The Portuguese Synagogue was the epicentre of a messianic movement that shook the global Jewish community in the 17th century. At the heart of this upheaval was Sabbatai Zevi, a mystical rabbi from Izmir who, through a series of coincidences surrounding his life, came to be recognized by many as the Jewish messiah. A newfound hope spread across Jewish communities far and wide, and the movement grew to unprecedented proportions, despite facing fierce opposition. At one point, Sabbatai and his followers seized the Portuguese Synagogue, expelled its hostile rabbis, and thus established the Portuguese Synagogue in Izmir as the world centre of this new messianic movement.
It all ended in disaster. Blackmailed by the Ottoman sultan, Sabbatai converted to Islam, thus renouncing his messianic claims – to the utter devastation of his followers. However, some interpreted his conversion as a temporary manoeuvre, and they too followed his leadformally embracing Islam. This new crypto-Jewish sect, known as the Dönmeh, became especially influential in Salonica, gradually evolving into one of the most liberal and progressive groups in the late Ottoman Empire and early Turkish Republic, drawing inevitable comparisons to the European Illuminati.
Today, it remains uncertain whether the Dönmeh still exist, as no one publicly claims to be a follower of Sabbatai Zevi anymore.
Izmir, 2023 – the birthplace of Sabbatai Zevi?
Directly across from the Portuguese Synagogue, just past Eşref Paşa Street, at the entrance to the ancient Roman agora, built during the reign of Marcus Aurelius, stands a beautiful three-story residential building from the 17th century. Currently under reconstruction, this house is said to be the family home of Sabbatai Zevi. Whether that claim holds any real evidence is doubtful – but then again, there’s no evidence against it either. What is certain is that his father was a wealthy merchant who ensured that the young and gifted Sabbatai received what was then considered the finest education available. Indeed, of all the people throughout history who have claimed to be prophets, messiahs, or divine sons, Sabbatai Zevi was arguably the most qualified for the role. He died in exile in Ulcinj in 1676.
The Jews of Izmir, exiled from Spain, brought with them customs that still linger in the city. A prime example is boyoz, a Spanish-origin pastry reminiscent of mantı. To this day, boyoz remains a favourite breakfast staple in Izmir. Despite its roots, boyoz is now uniquely Izmiri – it is no longer found in Spain, Istanbul, or even Israel.
When they first arrived, Sephardic Jews lived in modest houses arranged around small communal courtyards known as kortejo (or cortijo) – a concept and term transplanted directly from their former homeland. In its early days, the entire Jewish quarter followed this layout. Today, however, finding an authentic kortejo is nearly impossible, despite ongoing efforts to restore Izmir’s Jewish heritage. One kortejo has been reconstructed, but it feels unremarkable, inauthentic, and eerily empty, serving, at least nominally, as the office of some municipal administration.
The Levantine Legacy in Izmir
The term “Levantines” originally referred to the descendants of Christian settlers from the era of the Crusades, as well as Genoese and Venetian merchants who remained in the Ottoman Empire after the fall of Byzantium. These communities adopted local Oriental customs while preserving their faith and language.Later, when a new wave of European merchants arrived, bringing with them the culture of Western Europe, the local Greek and Turkish population extended the same term to include them as well. The Levantine quarters of Izmir were true enclaves of Western Europe in the heart of the Orient, and many traces of that heritage remain visible today. The most distinctively Levantine areas were in parts of modern-day Buca and Bornova quarters, which at the time lay on the city’s outskirts, as well as in Karşıyaka, on the opposite side of the Gulf of Izmir, where some of the finest examples of “Levantine” villas can still be found.
Wealthy Levantine merchant families gave local architects the opportunity to make a name for themselves. Unfortunately, for most of these mansions, reliable records about the architects who designed them have been lost to time.
Izmir, Karşıyaka 2023, Aliotti Mansion
The Aliotti family, of Florentine origin, was one of the wealthiest in Izmir, having made their fortune in the Oriental carpet trade. They owned estates in Buca and Bornova, as well as across the world, but their 1914 seafront villa in Karşıyaka, overlooking the Aegean Sea, is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful. In keeping with tradition, the villa remains in the hands of one of Izmir’s wealthiest residents today.
Not far away, on the same seaside promenade in Karşıyaka, stands another remarkable villa that once belonged to the German Löhner family. Restored in 2004, the villa now houses a ground-floor café, a fashionable gathering spot, particularly on sunny days, for those who enjoy being seen.
Izmir, Karşıyaka 2023, Löhner Mansion
In the Bornova district, the British influence was predominant, and traces of it are still evident today in several main streets where the city’s liberal elite resides. These streets are lined with cafés, bars, and pubs, mostly in the British style, boasting striking names such as “The Doors”, “Rock and Burger”, “North Irish Pub”,and the like.
Izmir, Bornova, 2023 – a characteristic British-style pub
Darko Veselinović, March 2023
