Smyrna Agora, modern Bayraklı in the city of Izmir, covers a rectangular area as would befit the grid city layout of the region. It bears the traces of the Hellenistic, Roman, Eastern Roman, Beylik (Principalities), and Ottoman periods. It also carries religious importance in that the Port was visited by two chief apostles, St. Paul and St. John, and was home to one of the seven churches of revelation.
Port cities of the ancient world usually have at least two agoras. The second agora of Smyrna is unfortunately unknown to us though we could easily guess that it would lie closer to the port and be more engaged with the city’s commercial affairs whereas the surviving Agora would serve as the city’s administrative centre.
The structures in Smyrna Agora are believed to have been first built between the late 4th and early 3rd centuries BCE as part of the first construction projects of the city. The city’s centre is surrounded with Portikos, structures to shelter people from extremely warm or cold weather or heavy rain. Its patio is home to several monuments and altars, and exedras (seats) made from marble.
Latest excavations have revealed a city council that sits adjacent to the West Portiko, a public building, and an ancient bath. A recent discovery of an inscription implies that there was the Temple of Nemesis, the goddes of retribution & indignation adjacent to the Agora or just nearby. One of the structures that were found way earlier includes Kadifekale or the Acropolis of Smyrna, which shows the layers from Hellenistic to Ottoman period and offers insight into how defensive strategies have changed throughout centuries. You should be sure to visit the Acropolis, Basilica, Bouleuterion, Agora Bath, and West Portico when you visit the Agora of Smyrna.