Where İzmir beganYeşilova Höyük is the oldest known settlement of İzmir, a mound in the Bornova district of the city, on the western coast of Turkey. When it was first inhabited, the Gulf of İzmir reached about two kilometres further inland, and the region was wetter and richer in plant and animal life. It is among the largest early settlements in western Anatolia — and today lies buried some 4 to 5 metres below the surface of the Bornova plain. A village rebuilt eight timesThe first community to settle the mound stayed for at least a thousand years, refusing to abandon it despite repeated floods and fires and rebuilding their village eight times. As the population grew, they founded a new settlement at nearby Yassıtepe. They hunted, raised early wheat and grazed cattle. Excavation revealed three broad cultural layers: a Neolithic settlement dating to about 8,000 years ago, a Chalcolithic layer above it from about 6,000 years ago, and later Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman remains near the surface. An accidental discoveryThe mound came to light in 2003, when soil trucked to a park in the Buca district was found to contain archaeological remains; tracing the soil back led to the site. Excavations began in 2005 under the İzmir Archaeology Museum and continued from 2008 under Professor Zafer Derin of Ege University. VisitingSince 2009 the site has been developed as a public archaeological park, where the Bornova Municipality runs educational activities showing groups of visitors — especially schoolchildren — the daily life, houses and objects of İzmir's first inhabitants some 8,500 years ago. Location: Bornova, İzmir, western TurkeyAge: First settled c. 8,500 years ago; Neolithic to Roman layersNotable: The oldest settlement of İzmir; a village rebuilt eight timesStatus: Open-air archaeological park with a visitor and education programmeVisiting: Guided activities and reconstructions on site