Izmir - Kadifekale/Panoramic View

Kadifekale Hill (Velvet Castle), the ancient Mount Pagus (185m/607ft), on which the acropolis of Lysimachos once stood rises over the east side of Izmir (access road signposted). The summit, crowned by the remains of a medieval citadel, offers an incomparable panoramic view encompassing the whole city, the Gulf of Izmir and the hills.

The massive, well-preserved walls of the medieval citadel, which originally had 40 towers, incorporate foundations and other masonry from the Lysimachean acropolis as well as work dating from Roman, Byzantine, Genoese and Ottoman periods.

On the slopes of the hill stood the Roman theater and the stadium (with seating for 20,000 spectators), of which practically no remains survive, although the outline of the stadium can still be traced. According to tradition the Tomb of St Polycarp Bishop of Smyrna who was martyred in A.D. 156 during the persecution of Christians by Mark Aurelius lies above the north side of the stadium.