80. From Athens viâ Smyrna to Constantinople

545 M. Steamers (agents at the Piræus, see pp. , 495; at Smyrna, p. ; at Constantinople, pp. , 539). 1. North German Lloyd (comp. RR. 23, 24, 77), Mediterranean & Levant Service, in either direction every other Thurs.; from the Piræus to Smyrna in 1, to Constantinople in 2–2½ days (fare to Smyrna 40 or 28, to Constantinople 72 or 48 marks).—2. Messageries Maritimes (comp. RR. 23, 77), N. Mediterranean service, from the Piræus every other Mon. (from Constantinople Thurs.), to Smyrna in 1, to Constantinople in 2 days (fare 90 or 60 fr.); also the Marseilles, Constantinople, and Batum line, from the Piræus Thurs. (from Constantinople Tues.), to Smyrna in 1, to Constantinople in 3 days (fare 80 or 40 fr.).—3. Khedivial Mail Steamship Co. (comp. R. 76), from the Piræus Frid. (from Constantinople Tues.) aft., to Smyrna in 18 hrs., to Constantinople in 2 days (fare 52 or 39, and 91 or 61 fr.).—4. Austrian Lloyd (comp. R. 78), Greek-Oriental Line, from the Piræus Frid. even, (from Constantinople Mon.), to Smyrna in 2, to Constantinople in 5 days (fares 54 or 38, and 132 or 93 fr.).

Line XI of the Società Nazionale (pp. , 563) touches at Smyrna on the outward voyage only (Piræus to Constantinople 3½ days).

To Constantinople Direct. 1. Rumanian Mail Line, from the Piræus Sun. aft., in 24 hrs. (returning from Constantinople Frid. aft. in 23 hrs.).—2. Società Nazionale, Line XII, from the Piræus Thurs. night, in 32 hrs. (returning from Constantinople Wed. foren., in 31 hrs.); fares 101 fr. 30, 70 fr. 70 c.—3. Austrian Lloyd, fast steamers between Trieste and Constantinople, from the Piræus Sat. aft., in 35 hrs. (from Constantinople Sat. foren., in 29 hrs.); fare 90 or 60 fr.

Athens and the Piraeus, see pp. , 494. We first steer to the S.E. across the Bay of Ægina (p. ), past the three pinnacles of Cape Zostēr, the southmost spur of Hymettos, and near the islets of Phleva (ancient Phabra; lighthouse) and Gaïdaronisi.

Beyond Cape Colonna or Kolonnaes (ancient Sunion), on which the columns of the temple of Poseidon are conspicuous, opens the Strait of Kea, between (left and right) the lonely Makronisi (922 ft.; ‘long island’; ancient Helena) and the fertile island of Kea (1863 ft.; formerly Keos), with its lighthouse on the headland of Hagios Nikolaos. On the left are the Petali Islands (Petaliae Insulae) in the bay of that name, and Hagios Elias (5264 ft.), the S. point of Euboea.

We next steer through the Straits of Doro (7½ M. in width; Ital. Canal d’Oro), where a strong N.E. current prevails and storms are frequently encountered. They lie between Eubœa and Andros (3199 ft.; 156 sq. M.), the largest of the Cyclades (p. ), with the lighthouse on Cape Fassa. Beyond them we are in the open sea.

Halfway between Andros and Chios (p. ) are the Kalogeros Cliffs, belonging to Greece. Most of the vessels leave them to the right and steer to the E.N.E. to the passage between the rocky island of Psara (ancient Psyra; notable for the revolt of the modern Greeks against the Turks) and Chios, with the bold and conspicuous Mt. Hagios Elias (4134 ft.; Pelinnaeon) at its N. end. To the N. appears the S. coast of Mytilini (p. ).

Beyond the N. end of the Straits of Chios (p. ) the Levant steamers (RR. 75, 76) round the steep limestone rocks of the Anatolian peninsula of Kara Burun, with the Boz Dagh (3920 ft.; ancient Mimas), and come in sight of the *Gulf of Smyrna, the ancient Sinus Hermaeus, which runs 34 M. inland. The entrance between (right and left) the headlands Kinlu Burun and Arslan Burun (Greek Cape Hydra) is 15 M. broad.

On the left, to the S. of Arslan Burun, near the islets of Drepanon and Oglak (lighthouse), lies the little bay of Phokia (Turk. Foja). This was the ancient Phocaea, the northmost Ionian town, whose bold mariners first opened up the W. Mediterranean to the Greeks (comp. p. ). Farther to the S., beyond Cape Myrminghi (lighthouse), is the new estuary of the Gedis Chai (Hermos), flanked with swampy alluvial soil and salt-works.

After rounding the island of Kiösteni (Gr. Makronisi), which lies in front of the E. slope of the Boz Dagh (see above) and masks the Bay of Gülbagcheh, we sight to the S., beyond the Marathusa Islands, the houses of Hagios Joannes (quarantine station), on an islet in the Bay of Vurlá. Here once lay the Ionian town of Klazomenae. The plain of Vurlá is famed for its wine and ‘Smyrna figs’.

Opposite the hills of the ‘Two Brothers’ (Dyo Adelphia, Turk. Iki Kardash; 3252 ft.) we pass the narrow old channel of the Gedis Chai (lighthouse). On a peninsula on the right lies the Turkish Fort Sanjak Kalesí; farther on is the suburb of Göz Tepeh (p. ). To the N.E. the imposing Yamanlar Dagh (p. ) and the lofty Manissa Dagh (5905 ft.; ancient Sipylos) beyond it become more conspicuous. To the S. of the latter is a depression, beyond which rises the Takhtaly or Nif Dagh. Beside the sea rises the Pagos (p. ) with its old walls and many cypresses. On its slopes, far to the S.W. and N.E., extends Smyrna.

Smyrna.—Arrival. As soon as permission to land is obtained the hotel-agents, guides, and boatmen come on board. Landing or embarkation, with baggage 1½ fr., but 2–3 fr. when the steamer anchors in the outer roads. As to the examination at the Custom House (Pl. B, 3), comp. p. . The porter (hamál) expects a few silver piastres.

Hotels. *Gr.-Hôt. Kraemer Palace (Pl. c; B, 3), Passage Kræmer (p. ), with American bar, etc., R. 6–20, B. 1½, déj. 4, D. 5, pens. 12–25 fr.; *Gr.-Hôt. Huck (Pl. a; B, 4), on the quay, nearly opposite the Douane, pens. 10–25 fr.; Hôt. de la Ville (Pl. b; B, 3; Ital. host), on the quay, pens. 10–12, D. 3 fr. (in the season, March-May, rather dearer).

Cafés (all on the quay). Kraemer, see above (also restaurant, beer, etc.); Klonaridis, in the Hôt. de la Ville; Café Costi, Café High Life, both Quai Anglais, etc.

Post Offices. British (Pl. 9; C, 4); French (Pl. 8; B, 4); etc.—Telegraph Offices. Turkish and Eastern Telegraph Co., on the quay, adjoining the Douane (1st floor).

Cabs at the hotels and railway-stations (bargain necessary). Drivers often ignorant and exorbitant. Drive 1 fr. to ½ mejidieh, hr. 1 mej.; ½ day about 2 mej.—Horses in the Place Fassulah (Pl. C, 3), about 2 mej. per day.

Tramway from Konak (Pl. A, 6) along the quay to Punta Station (Gare de la Pointe; Pl. E, 2), 7 metalliks; from Konak to Göz Tepeh (p. ), 4 metalliks.

Local Steamers to Kordelio, Göz Tepeh, etc.

Steamboat Agents (offices all on the quay). North German Lloyd, Van der Zee (also for German Levant Line); Austrian Lloyd, Pussich; Khedivial Mail, Cohen; Messageries Maritimes, D. G. Alevra; Società Nazionale, Fratelli Missir; German Levant Line, Milberg; Russian Steam Navigation & Trading Co., Bégléry.

Banks. Banque Ottomane (Pl. B, 4); Crédit Lyonnais, Rue Franque (p. ); Banque de Salonique and Banque d’Athènes.—Money Changers in front of the Hôt. Huck and the Hœnischer Passage (Pl. B, 3, 4); a charge of 2–5 metalliks is made, according to amount. Perforated coins should be rejected.

Consulates. British: consul-general, H. D. Barnham; vice-consul, C. E. Heathcote Smith.—United States (Pl. 3; C, 3): consul-general, E. L. Harris; vice-consul, E. A. Magnifico.

English Church (Pl. E, 2), near Gare de la Pointe.

Smyrna, Turk. Izmir, the seat of the vali or governor of the Turkish province of Aidin, lies in 38° 26′ N. lat. and 27° 9′ E. long., in a bay between Sanjak Kalesí (p. ) and the Punta (La Pointe; Pl. D, E, 1). As all the older harbours on the W. coast of Asia Minor have been choked by alluvial deposits, Smyrna has developed into the chief seaport of Anatolia and the largest city in Turkish Asia after Damascus. Population, excl. suburbs, about 200,000, incl. over 100,000 Greeks, 60,000 Turks, 20,000 Jews (p. ), 12,000 Armenians, and 15,000 Europeans and Levantines. The chief languages are Greek, French, and Italian.

Smyrna was founded in the 11th cent. B.C. on the N. side of the bay of Burnabad (p. ), about 2 M. to the N. of the present city. The Ionians of Colophon (p. ) captured it for the sake of its trade in the 7th cent. and added it to their league of twelve cities. About 575 B.C. it was taken by the Lydian king Alyattes, who destroyed it and settled its inhabitants in villages. A new Smyrna, as planned by Alexander the Great, was founded later on the Pagos (p. ) by the diadochi Antigonos and Lysimachos, and soon developed into one of the finest towns in Asia Minor. After the havoc wrought by terrible earthquakes in 178 and 180 A.D. the emperor Marcus Aurelius caused it to be rebuilt. For a time it was wrested from the Byzantine emperors by Turkish pirates (1084) and the Seljuks (p. ). During the Latin domination in Constantinople (p. ) Smyrna remained under the sceptre of the Greek emperor at Nikæa. In 1344 the Genoese and the Knights of St. John took the city under their protection, but in 1402 they were unable to save it from the ravages committed by Timur (p. ), nor could they in 1424 prevent its capture by the Osmans. This ‘eye of Asia Minor’, as the Turks have called Smyrna, has risen to wonderful prosperity of late years.

The quays were built in 1868–80 and at the same time the Harbour, of 50 acres only, was protected by a breakwater 1400 yds. long and 19 yds. in breadth. The entrance is between the N.E. end of this breakwater and the N. pier (Pl. B, 3, 4) near the passport-office, passengers’ custom-house, and telegraph office. The local steamers (p. ) are berthed between the N. and the S. mole (Pl. A, 4, 5; chief custom-house).

The great business thoroughfare is the Quay Street (Greek Prokymaea, Ital. Marina), over 2 M. long, skirting the Frank quarter (see below). In the S. part of this street, among the motley throng of sailors, dock-labourers, and traders of every nation, are often seen picturesque trains of camels, headed in some cases by a donkey. The N. part of the quay, with its theatres, cafés, and many handsome dwelling-houses, is of an entirely different character.

From the quay several alleys, the Kræmer Passage, the Hœnischer Passage (Pl. B, 3, 4), and others, and the busy street Galatzo Sokak (Pl. B, C, 3) lead to the Frank Quarter. The main streets here, running parallel with the quay, are the so-called Parallel St., the Quai Anglais (Turk. Eski Balik Basar; Pl. B, C, 3, 4), the Maltese quarter, and above all the Franks’ Street, in sections bearing different names (Rue des Verreries, Rue Franque, Rue Trassa, etc.), and lined with many European and other shops.

To the E. of Rue Franque, passing the Rom. Cath. cathedral of St. Jean (Pl. C, 4), we come to the Greek Quarter, to which the lively streets Bella Vista (Pl. D, 2) and Oroman Sokak (Pl. D, 2, 3) also lead. The Greek Cath. cathedral of Hagia Photinē or Aï Fotini (Pl. B, 4) lies near the S.W. end of the Franks’ Street.

A little beyond Aï Fotini the street ends at the *Bazaar (Pl. B, 5; open till sunset), which vies in its picturesque variety with the Great Bazaar of Constantinople. Smyrna carpets, mostly from the interior, old embroidery, and modern silks may be bought here at reasonable prices. The so-called antiquities, however, are generally spurious. The bazaar is within the Turkish Quarter, on the site of ancient Smyrna, with its quiet streets ascending the Pagos (see below), and extending to the S.W. to the Moslem and the old Jewish Cemeteries. Near these, but difficult to find, are traces of the temples of Asklepios and Vesta (Pl. A, 7). Within the Turkish quarter lies the very unsavoury Jewish Quarter (Pl. B, C, 5, 6).

From the church of Aï Fotini we may walk through the Armenian Quarter, past the Armenian cathedral of St. Etienne (Pl. C, 5) and the Basma Khâné Station (Pl. D, 5), to the Caravan Bridge (Pl. E, 5), which the busy traffic with the interior crosses.

From the Moslem cemeteries (Pl. A, B, 7) mentioned above, or from the Caravan Bridge, we ascend in ½ hr. to the top of the *Pagos (525 ft.), which affords a superb view of the city, the bay, and the hills around. The extensive outer wall of the old Castle, dating from the Byzantine and Genoese periods, consists partly of the substructures and masonry of the Acropolis of king Lysimachos (p. ). Of the Roman Theatre (Pl. C, D, 6, 7) and the Stadion (Pl. B, C, 7; p. ) on the hill-side hardly a trace is left.

*Excursions. To Göz Tepeh (p. ) by tramway or by local steamer (p. ).—By local steamer or by railway (from the Basma Khâné Stat., see p. ) to Kordelio (cafés; sea-baths), a little town prettily situated among gardens on the N. bank of the bay. From the steamer, to the E. of the Punta (p. ), we see the Bay of Burnabad and the plain of that name, beyond which, on the Yamanlar Dagh (3202 ft.), is the site of Ancient Smyrna (p. ).

Leaving Smyrna the Steamer passes the Kara Burun (p. ) and usually steers to the W.N.W. out to sea. Astern we obtain a fine view of Chios. We soon skirt the beautiful S. coast of Mytilini or Mitylene (3084 ft.; ancient Lesbos; 673 sq. M.), the largest island in the Ægean Sea, and pass the narrow entrance of the far-penetrating Bay of Kalloni. Beyond Cape Sigri (Sigrium Promontorium) and the islet of Megalonisi (lighthouse) we sight the distant coast of Troas (see below).

Some of the vessels, beyond Arslan Burun (p. ), steer to the N., close to the Anatolian coast, and past the finely varied scenery, of the Bay of Chandarli, the ancient Sinus Elaeates. On the N. bank of that bay, to the W. of the estuary of the Bakyr Chai (once Kaïkos), rises the Kara Dagh (2559 ft.; Cane Mons).

Beyond Cape Maltepe, a spur of Kara Dagh, and the Hagios Georgios Islands opens the Strait of Mytilini, 9 M. wide, lying between the island and the coast of ancient Mysia. On the right, far inland from Kabakum Bay, we sight the hills near Bergama, the famous Pergamum of the Greeks. On the hill-side to the left, beyond Cape Malea, the S.E. point of the island, lies Mytilini or Kastro (Turk. Midüllü), its capital, with a Genoese castle.

At the N. end of the strait, beyond the entrance to the harbour of Aivaly (Gr. Kydonia), and the Moshonisia Islands (Hekatonesoi), opens to the N.E. the broad Bay of Edremid (Adramyti), on which rises Kaz Dagh (5807 ft.), the ancient Ida. We next steer to the W. through the Muselim Sound, between the N. coast of Mytilini and the S. coast of Troas or the Troad, where once rose the loftily situated stronghold of Assos.

After passing cape Baba Burnu (Lectum Promontorium), the S.W. point of Troas, we follow the course of the direct steamers from Smyrna, past Cape Eski Stambul (‘Old Stambul’), the site of Alexandreia Troas, a town of the Diadochi, and through the Strait of Tenedos (3 M. broad). The island of Tenedos, famed in the Trojan wars, now abounding in windmills, rises in a trachytic double peak to a height of 627 ft.

At the N. end of the strait lies the islet of Gaïdaronisi (lighthouse). Far away to the W., in clear weather, we descry the island of Limnos (ancient Lemnos); to the N.W., beyond Imbros, towers the mountain-mass of Samothrake (5250 ft.).

Beyond Besika Bay, in front of which lie the volcanic islands of Tavshan Adalar (‘rabbit-islands’; once Kalydnae or Lagussae), we pass the hills bordering the W. side of the plain of Troy, the legendary scene of the Homeric battles. Between Hagios Dimitrios Tepeh (hill of St. Demetrius) and the Greek village of Yenishehr is the site of Sigeum or Sigeion. Near it the tumuli of ‘Achilles and Patroklos’ were the burial-places of that Athenian colony.

We now near the strongly fortified Dardanelles (p. xxxiv), the ancient Hellespont, now named after the ancient town of Dardanos (see below). The straits connect the Ægean Sea with the Sea of Marmora, a distance of 37½ M., and average ¾–4¾ M. in breadth, and 160–295 ft. in depth. They intersect a tableland, 820–925 ft. in height, of tertiary formation (yellow marl and marl-limestone of the upper miocene). The surface current (p. ), sometimes setting as in the Bosporus at the rate of 5 M. an hour, causes serious difficulty to sailing-vessels, especially if wind and tide are both against them.

At the S.W. entrance to the Dardanelles, scarcely 2½ M. broad, lies a village on the Asiatic side with the ruined fortress of Kum Kaleh (light); opposite, on the Peninsula of Gallipoli, the ancient Thracian Chersonesus, is the fort of Sidd el-Bahr Kalesí.

Beyond Kum Kaleh we sight to the S., rising above the marshy plain of the Mendere Chai (Skamander), the low hill which was once the site of Troy (near Hissarlik), with the débris of the excavations. On the shore, to the W. of the mouth of the stream, lay the landing-place of the Greeks.

Passing the site of Dardanos (on the right) we soon reach the narrowest part of the straits (about 1475 yds.), commanded by the Dardanelles Castles built by Mohammed II. in 1470, with their new earthworks. On the European side is the picturesque Kilid Bahr (‘key of the sea’); on the Asiatic side is Kaleh Sultanieh or Boghaz Hissar, at the mouth of the Koja Chai (Rhodios). Under the protection of the latter lies the town of Chanak Kalesí (‘castle of pots’), usually called Dardanelles (pop. 16,700). While the steamer stops for way-leave the potters of the place offer their curiously shaped and painted vases for sale.

At the second-narrowest part of the straits (1585 yds.), where they bend to the N.E., once lay the towns of Sestos (left) and Abydos (right), now fort Nagara Kalesí (quarantine station; lighthouse). This was the traditional scene of the romance of Hero and Leander; it was here that Lord Byron swam across in 1810. Xerxes crossed the straits here in 480 B.C., Alexander the Great in 334 B.C., and the Turks in 1357.—On the coast, to the left, is the small plain of Ægospotamoi (now Karakova Dereh), off which the Spartans won a decisive victory over the Athenians in 405.

Near the N.E. end of the Dardanelles, on the right, lies the village of Lampsaki (Lampsakos) amid olive-groves and vineyards. To the left, on the steep projecting coast, is superbly situated the decayed town of Gallipoli (Kallipolis, ‘beautiful town’), the first European town captured in 1357 by Suleiman, son of Orkhân (p. ).

The Dardanelles expand into the Sea of Marmora (p. xxxiv), the ancient Propontis, a basin of comparatively recent origin (extreme depth 4450 ft.), which like the Ægean Sea has been formed by the subsidence of large portions of the earth’s surface. On the Asiatic side, beyond Kara Burun (381 ft.), lies the Bay of Artaki, on the N. margin of the ancient Troas. Adjoining the bay is the plain of the Biga Sher Chai, the ancient Granikos, where in 334 Alexander the Great won his first victory over the Persians.

On the coast of ancient Phrygia rises the peninsula of Kapu Dagh (2625 ft.; once Arktonnesos island), flanked by the Pasha Liman islands and Marmora or Marmara (2326 ft.), where white marble for Constantinople has been quarried since ancient times.

On the N. coast soon appear the villages of Sharkiöi (once Peristasis) and Hiraklitsa (Heraklea); then the town of Rodosto (Turk. Tekirdagh), and farther on, Eregli, the ancient Perinthos.

To the S. we sight the islet of Kalolimni (689 ft.; Besbikos); far beyond it are the Gulf of Mudania (or Gemlek) and the town of Brussa, at the foot of the Bithynian Olympos (8200 ft.), which is generally capped with snow.

Off the beautiful Gulf of Ismid (Nikomedeia), to the N.E., lie the Princes Islands (Iles des Princes; comp. Map, p. ), the ancient Demonnesoi (Turk. Kizil Adalar, ‘red islands’, so called from the colour of their ferruginous rocks).

Prinkipo, the ancient Pityusa (‘rich in pines’), the largest and most populous of these islands, attracts many excursionists from Constantinople in fine weather (local steamers, see p. ). On the N. side of the island lies its capital, Prinkipo (Hôt. Giacomo, déj. 5, D. 6 fr.; Hôt. Impérial, and others). Pleasant drive thence (2½ hrs. there and back; 1–2 mejidiehs; or ride, ½–1 mej.) to the highest hill on the S. side of the island, crowned with the old Monastery of St. George (656 ft.; *View).

On its way from Constantinople to Prinkipo the steamer first touches at Proti (377 ft.). To the right we see the small island of Oxia, the most westerly of the group, to which in 1910 the famous street-dogs of Constantinople were transported, and Plati (‘the flat’), also called ‘Bulwer’s Island’ after an English Ambassador who here built two now ruined castles (19th cent.) in the style of Windsor. The steamer calls also at Antigoni (542 ft.), and Chalki (446 ft.; ‘ore-island’), with a Greek commercial school and a seminary for priests.

On the flat European shore, beyond the village of Küchük Chekmekjeh on the lagoon of that name, we sight the Russian war-monument with its gleaming tower, a landmark of Constantinople, rising above the cape of San Stefano (lighthouse). A little later appears Stambul. Next, beyond the lighthouse (Phare), is seen the white mosque of Ahmed and the yellow Aya Sophia.

On the Asiatic coast, on the promontory which runs out into the beautiful Bay of Moda, there is situated, in the ancient Bithynia, Fanar Burnu or Fener Bagcheh (lighthouse). Beyond, it is Kadikiöi (Kadi Keuï), a modern suburb of Constantinople, on the site of Kalchedon or Chalcedon. Farther on are the little harbour of Haidar Pasha (p. ), the station of the Anatolian railway, and, at the S. end of Scutari (p. ), the military school of medicine, the large Selimieh Barracks, and the Selimieh Mosque.

The steamer now rounds the Seraglio Point and enters the Bosporus (p. ); it passes the Golden Horn, the harbour of Constantinople, and the New Bridge, and casts anchor at the Galata Quay below Pera. Landing, see below.

The Direct Steamers from Athens to Constantinople steer from the Straits of Doro (p. ) to the N.N.E. for Tenedos (p. ). In clear weather we descry to the right the distant Chios (p. ) and Psara (p. ), and to the left Skyros (2608 ft.), the S.E. island of the N. Sporades. On the right we next sight Mytilini (p. ), and on the left Hagiostrati (971 ft.; Halonnesos). From Tenedos to Constantinople, see p. .