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Turkey's third city and its second port after Istanbul, IZMIR - ancient Smyrna - is home to nearly three million people. It was the Ottoman Empire's window to the West and the primary port for the shipping of goods brought from Asia, granted to Greece under an indefinite mandate after World War I. But by September 1922 Greek attempts to extend their area of control had failed, the army beaten back by Ataturk's "free" Turkish forces; the ensuing struggle was bitter and resulted in seventy percent of the city burning to the ground. Today's Izmir has been built pretty much from scratch, its central boulevards wide and tree-lined, and is nowadays booming and cosmopolitan - partly due to its role as headquarters of NATO Southeast. Its mild climate is offset by its location, straddling a heavily polluted 50km-long gulf fed by several streams and flanked by mountains on all sides. Despite an illustrious history, much of the city is relentlessly modern. Orientation can be confusing - many streets are unmarked - but most points of interest lie near each other and walking is the most enjoyable way of exploring. For city buses , buy tickets in advance ($0.40) from white kiosks near most stops, and deposit them in the container when boarding. A cross-town taxi ride shouldn't cost more than about $2.
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