TRENDEAtlas of the Sultans · Cities

When did İzmir become Ottoman?

İzmir (Smyrna) · Today: Turkey

507years under Ottoman rule

İzmir came under Ottoman rule in 1390; it remained an Ottoman city until the end of the empire. It changed hands in between; there are 3 separate Ottoman periods.

İzmir
1300140015001600170018001900
1390–1402 · 12 years1424–1919 · 495 years

Chronology

  1. 1390
    Became Ottoman

    The Ottomans took the Aydın region, and with it İzmir, for the first time; the harbour castle remained with the Knights of St John.

    Sultan: Bayezid I
  2. 1402
    Left Ottoman rule

    Timur took the city in December 1402 and returned Aydın to its former lords; İzmir was ruled by Cüneyd Bey of Aydın.

    Sultan: Bayezid I
  3. 1424
    Became Ottoman

    Murad II captured the city for good in 1424.

    Sultan: Murad II
  4. 1919
    Left Ottoman rule

    On 15 May 1919 the Greek army occupied the city.

    Sultan: Mehmed VI
  5. 1922
    Became Ottoman

    On 9 September 1922 the Turkish army liberated the city.

How the total is counted: years of actual Ottoman rule are added up. Temporary occupations shorter than a year (that were reversed) are not subtracted; they appear as notes in the chronology.

In the atlas

On the atlas map the city lies in the region “Aydın–Saruhan–Menteşe”. Map colours work at region level, so the city's own dates may differ from the region's by a few years.

Open the map in 1390

Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “İZMİR” (Turkish); text written for the atlas.