The word "myrrh" has a double meaning: on the one hand, this is the name of the resin, which is one of the components of the sacred fragrant incense during religious rites. But there is an even more ancient meaning. Many people know that Smyrna is an ancient Ionian city located in Turkey and has the modern name Izmir.
Sacred Resin
One of the valuable gifts that was customary to offer to kings and rich nobles from the most ancient times in the East is myrrh, or myrrh. It is a resin derived from the bark of styrax trees (Cistus ereticus), which is very odorous and bitter in taste, but has antimicrobial and wound-healing properties. The named fragrant substance was mined in Egypt, Arabia and Nubia.
Old Testament traditions say that myrrh is a symbol of the suffering of Jesus Christ on the Cross, as a result of which it is used as an integral part of sacred smoking during religious rites.
From ancient times, this substance was exported to East India and was one of the items of trade, as it was widely used to fragrantly anoint the bodies of the dead.
Ancient city
The city with this name was considered the crown of Ionia and the bright jewel of Asia. Ancient legends have been preserved that Smyrna is a settlement at the mouth of the Meles River on the coast of Asia Minor, in which we alth and fine arts flourish. Although the exact date is unknown, historians believe that this settlement originated over 3000 years ago in one of the early periods of Ancient Greece.
According to legend, its founder is Tantalus, the son of Zeus and Smyrna, the beautiful queen of the Amazons. In her honor, the first name of the settlement was given. The Aeolians lived in it, then the Ionians, and the city experienced a stormy heyday during the reign of the ancient Romans.
Under Alexander the Great, a port was built here for trade in the Mediterranean Sea, and under the Roman rule of Marcus Aurelius Smyrna was restored from ruins after another strong earthquake.
For the entire period of its existence, Smyrna was partially destroyed by 6 earthquakes, but each time the city was reborn, like a beautiful Phoenix bird. It is also considered the birthplace of the ancient thinker, philosopher and poet Homer, who created the famous works of the Iliad and the Odyssey.
Smyrna during the Ottoman Empire
For 3 millennia of its existence, from the period of Ancient Greece to the beginning of the 20th century, Smyrna often passed from one ruler to another. During the early Byzantine era, the citywas a major religious and economic center. The Christian church here was founded by St. Apostle John the Theologian, who appointed his disciple, Bishop St. Polycarp.
In the XI century. it was conquered by the Seljuk tribes, and in the XII century. The Byzantine Empire regained its power. After its fall, the city passed to the Knights of St. John, later it was part of the Nicaean Empire.
In 1402, Smyrna was captured by Tamerlane, then by Turkish troops, which marked the beginning of the Ottoman-Turkish period. Under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, the city lived for several centuries (XV-XX centuries) and became its own for residents of various nationalities. The Sultan concluded an agreement with the states of Europe, according to which foreigners of any religion could freely trade here.
Thanks to this policy, Smyrna grew rapidly and became a rich port city, which in the 18th century was considered the most prosperous in the East.
During the reign of the Ottoman Empire, many mosques were built in the city, beautiful and richly decorated. The most famous among them is the Hissar Mosque dating from the 16th century. It is famous for its magnificent altar and pulpit and was restored in the 19th century.
Smyrna massacre
Before the beginning of the 20th century. Smyrna was a multinational, but predominantly Christian city, in which 107 thousand Greeks, 12 thousand Armenians, 23 thousand Jews, 52 thousand Muslims and subjects of various European states lived. The territory was divided into the upper city, where Christians lived, and the lower - Muslim. Centerits embankment was considered to be built up with rich houses in the European architectural style.
After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the First World War and the conclusion of a peace treaty in 1920, it was decided that Smyrna was a Greek city. However, Turkey refused to recognize this fact, as a result of which, on September 9, 1922, Turkish troops under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal entered the city and looted and killed the Christian population, which at that time consisted mainly of Greeks and Armenians. About 200 thousand people died.
September 13, a huge fire was set up that destroyed the part of the city where the Christians lived. The survivors of the pogroms (about 400 thousand refugees) were taken out by American and Japanese ships and received help from the Red Cross.
After all the events, Turkey proclaimed the creation of a republic, and Smyrna was renamed the city of Izmir, which became almost completely Muslim.
Museum City
Ancient Smyrna was one of the 7 main ancient cities. During the years of its existence, it survived the power of the Greeks, Romans, Byzantium and the Ottoman Empire. Each period of its existence has left a tangible mark on both architecture and culture.
To this day, only the ruins of the ancient city have survived, which in modern Izmir have become an open-air museum. The Agora of Smyrna is located on the southern slope of Kadifekale and was discovered during excavations in 1932-1941. To date, only the northern and western parts of it are open. Its center is a 160-meter basilica with 3 aisles,separated by rows of columns covered with a roof. In the Agora, the ruins of an ancient amphitheater for 25 thousand spectators built of marble, the temple of Artemis and the altar of the Greek god Zeus have been preserved.
Sights of Izmir
The modern city of Izmir is the third largest metropolis (about 3 million) in Turkey, second only to Istanbul and Ankara. In addition to the ancient Agora described above, here you can find other attractions that will interest tourists:
- The fortress of Kadifekale (4th century BC), located on the highest peak within the city, was built under the leadership of General Lysimachos, the successor of Alexander the Great. Roman and Byzantine bas-reliefs have been preserved on its walls.
- Kemer alti Bazaar (XVIII century), which presents small alleys and squares, shopping centers and workshops. Here you can see and buy a lot of souvenirs and everything else.
- Kyzylsullu aqueduct, laid in Roman times (II century) to deliver water from sources to the city.
- The historic Asancer elevator, built in 1907 by French engineers.
Tourists who come to Smyrna will like the bright eastern port-megalopolis with developed infrastructure, industry and many ancient monuments, traces of the turbulent history of this ancient city.
