Hi my name is Muhammad Farooq Azeemi , from Pakistan. I am an all in one ticket, a blogger, traveler, and journalist by heart. Graduate from Yasar University.
The journey has a background, I came Turkey to get an admission in a university in Izmir, which I always will be thankful for letting me see the most amazing city I could. I landed there without knowing much. I took a taxi to the university. I saw the city from taxi windows, a beautiful nature and some modern architecture awaited in the way. I wanted to talk to the taxi driver but he knew only one English sentence, ‘’I don’t speak English’’ with a big smile that showed me all his teeth!
When I settled down, I started to explore the city! Izmir is one of the oldest cities in the world, it has seen a lot of kingdoms come and go and has been awarded to Greeks after World War. I won’t discuss much about history because I wasn’t born at that time so, all I try do is show how the city looks like from my eyes!
Izmir has the second biggest seaport in Turkey. There are so many cafes and bars you can take a small cup of amazing Turkish tea and sit for hours and feel the breeze go through you! They are all open until late hours so you can enjoy the night life. The advantage of having a seaside is, there is only one road which is connecting all the city. You don’t have to worry about going somewhere. The main activity area is called Alsancak, you can wander around the same road to see amazing views. Don’t fear getting lost as I did in the first days!
When I visited Clock Tower, I thought it’s a tower with a clock but when I got close I realized it has a mystic charm attracts you since 1901. It was made in the memory of a king by a French architecture. It looks unique with the lights at night. Across the tower, there are many shops. You can find stores for all budgets. You can explore down markets as well, which is similar to Lahore (Pakistan). You just have to go in the narrow streets and you will find the most lowest prices! It is a secret don’t tell anyone, I pretend to wear brands only!
Izmir has also 800 years old market named Kemeralti, the place where you can buy from traditional Turkish lamps to modern day electronics. I was amazed to see people speaking fluent English with decent accents inside! Shopkeepers will read foreigner written on your face even if you try to speak Turkish like I did. They will lead you to buy something!
Travelling down the roads, I always came across with people selling the Turkish flags and pictures of their leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern-day Turkey. I have visited many places but never seen so strong devotion of people towards their leader. He passed away in 1938, but still they keep him alive. People of all ages in Izmir still follow him as a leader, and you will see his statues in almost everywhere.
I would say that food in Izmir is one of the healthiest in the world. The symbol of Izmir is a famous snack; Boyoz pretty much like bread. Drinking Turkish tea, was also a different experience for me, having a Pakistani Background we drink tea with milk so without milk it was like a hot juice for me, but I got used to it and loved it.
The whole city is an amazing combination of Muslim architecture, east, and west. It offers you both lifestyles, traditional and contemporary. People accept each other for the way they are. It offers you the freedom to make choices and the diversity of the culture makes you blend with it pretty easily.
Muhammed Farooq Azeemi
Guest Writer
