Ephesus is one of the world's largest and most impressive ancient cities, and also one of Türkiye's most important. Its cultural and historical significance was confirmed by its UNESCO World Heritage status in 2015. The city's ruins lie just 80 km inland from the famous seaside city of İzmir and near the charming towns of Selcuk and Sirince.

In the Aegean region, on a hillside overlooking an area irrigated by the Bakırçay River, lie the ruins of a city known in antiquity as Kaikos. This city was Pergamon, the heart of the ancient world. Its archaeological layers contain significant evidence reflecting the region's remarkable cultural synthesis and the historical continuity of the relationships between these cultures.

İzmir is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had a population of 2,938,292 (in eleven urban districts), while İzmir Province had a total population of 4,493,242.