History

The city was under control of the Pergamon Kingdom for some time after the death of Alexander the Great.The city once again began to thrive in 190 B.C. while under roman rule, playing an important role for the development of Christianity. A great cultural renaissance occurred in İzmir under the romans. İzmir remained under roman rule until the fourth cuntury A.D., when the Roman Empire split to two (A.D. 395). İzmir fell under Byzantine infulance and became part of the Eastern Roman Empire, serving as one of the most important bastions of Byzantium until the year 1320. During this period many Byzantine-style structures were erected in İzmir. In addition, with the spread of the Christian religion, a paralel increase in religious structure and art were also winessed. Despite the fact that  İzmir was taken over by the (the upper half) was ruled first by Emir Çaka Bey and later by Aydınoğlu Gazı Umur Bey of the Turkish Seljuk Empire (in 1320). In the 14th cuntury the castle and the lower part of İzmir were conquered by the Knights of Rhodes (1344). In the 15th century, when the Otoman sultan assumed control over Anatolia, he made İzmir a part of his empire, but the Mongol khan, Timur, invaded the city the Otoman Empire at the time, succeeded in retaining the city as capital of his kingdom until 1415, when Otoman Sultan Mehmet I brought the city back  under his control. In 1422 Sultan Mehmet II made İzmir a permanent part of the Otoman Empire. Starting in the 16th century İzmir developed as a centre of trade of the Otoman Empire and in the 18th and 19th centuries became an international commerce capital under British, French, Italian and Dutch traders. After World War I (1914-18), the Turkish goverment launched its struggle for independence. The war for İzmir’s indepence ended on Spet. 9, 1922, and today İzmir holds a prominent place in Turkey’s recent history.