Ancient Smyrna is an archaeological complex associated with the early stages of the history of modern Izmir on Turkey's Aegean coast. For most tourists, this primarily means the site of Old Smyrna in the Bayrakli district, where traces of one of the earliest settlements in this part of the coast have been preserved. The city's history continued at another location as well - in the area of Mount Pagos, closer to the present-day center of Izmir, where a new Smyrna later took shape.

Excavations in Bayrakli show that this area was inhabited from very ancient times. In antiquity, Smyrna belonged to the cultural sphere of the Aegean world and was associated first with the Aeolians and then with the Ionians. After its destruction around the end of the 7th to the beginning of the 6th century BC, the settlement declined, but later the city was revived at a new location and once again became an important center of western Asia Minor.

During the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Smyrna developed as a major urban center and then continued to exist in Byzantine times. That is why today it is interesting not because of one single monument, but because of its historical multilayered character. A visit to ancient Smyrna helps to better understand how modern Izmir gradually grew out of an ancient city.

This place is usually chosen by travelers interested in archaeology, the history of ancient cities, and the origins of Izmir's urban landscape. A visit to the ruins can easily be combined with a trip through the city's historic districts in order to see the connection between the early settlement in Bayrakli, the later Smyrna, and the modern city center.