Kemeraltı

Archaeological excavations carried out in the ancient city of Smyrna in İzmir have unearthed figures and objects with Egyptian civilization influences.

The historical building of the İzmir Economic Congress, where the first economic policies of the country were discussed, has been reopened in its 100th year after being restored in line with its original form.

The Banka-Han building, also knowns as the Guiffray Inn, where the first economic congress was held in 1923, was demolished in 1979 and turned into a parking lot.

Amid the ongoing archaeological excavations to uncover Smyrna Agora and Smyrna Theater on an area between İzmir's Kadifekale and Kemeraltı districts, the traces from Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods, as well as various principalities and the Ottoman era, have come to light so far.

The 100-year-old building of Beyazıt Han in Istanbul's Karaköy district has collapsed, a place that carried significant historical importance for being a hub for tailors in the past.

Partial collapses occurred in the historic abandoned building on Kemeraltı Street in the morning hours of April 6. Upon the incident, police and fire brigade teams were dispatched to the scene.

An old Jewish neighborhood in the western province of İzmir, where some nine synagogues exist, will convert into an open museum, says the project's coordinator.

"The region inside the Historical Kemeraltı Bazaar will be a focus of interest of the city's faith and culture tourism," Nesim Bencoya, an expert from the İzmir Jewish Heritage Project, told Demirören News Agency on Oct. 18.

The Aegean province of İzmir is expected to get a " new Ephesus" once an ancient theater believed to be buried and currently being excavated is revealed as archaeological works have been ongoing, İzmir Mayor Tunç Soyer has said.

Turkey's historical Kemeraltı Bazaar, and its surrounding area, has been added to the temporary UNESCO World Heritage List.

The vibrant bazaar in the Aegean city of İzmir dates back to the 17th century. For tourists, it is a smaller version of Istanbul's Grand Bazaar.