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Kadifekale is a castle on very same hill where Alexander the Great had a dream about founding the ancient city of Smyrna (Σμύρνη or Σμύρνα in Greek). It’s located in Izmir, Turkey.
History
There were actually two ancient Smyrnas – old Smyrna and new Smyrna. Old Smyrna was settled in the 11th century BC and is located at Tepekule in the Bayraklı district of Izmir. Alexander the Great came through in the 4th century BC and conquered old Smyrna. Later, he was hunting up at the top of a nearby hill named Pagos (Πάγος) by the ancient Greeks and decided to take a nap under a plane tree. As he slept, he had a dream in which he founded a great city built on the hill.
Alexander’s dream was eventually carried out but only after his death. The settlement of old Smyrna was abandoned and the people relocated to the new site of the city where the Smyrna Agora is now located. It later became one of the seven churches in the Book of Revelation. The name of the city was changed to Izmir in 1930 by the Turkish government.
Kadifekale
On the spot where Alexander had his dream sits a Byzantine castle that was rebuilt by the Ottomans. The castle was named Kadifekale (Velvet Castle) by the Ottomans. It’s also an important site for Christians. During Roman times, St. Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, was martyred at the site of the castle in 155 AD. Admission to the castle is free.
Inside the castle are the remains of a Byzantine cistern and a small Ottoman mosque. Everything is kind of run down and unimpressive, but the views are stunning.
Getting to the Castle
You can reach the castle by walking up through the maze of streets near the ancient agora. However, the streets up to the castle, and the castle itself, are located in a slum and one of the few unsafe areas of Izmir. I would not walk up to the castle alone as I did. If you really feel a need to visit, for safety purposes, a taxi is the best bet to get up there. Again, the castle is not a must-see unless you are really interested (oh, but the views!).
If you do choose to walk up, the most interesting thing I saw was a road that was completely collapsed. There’s nothing special about the neighborhood on the way up.
