Located in the northeast of İzmir, below Yamanlar Mountain, on 380 north latitude and 270 degrees longitude, Bornova is 8 km from İzmir.Bornova, which has a settled population of 400 thousand and a mobile population of 1 million, covers an area of 205 square kilometers with its villages. Bornova, where life began 8,500 years ago, has hosted many civilizations from past to present. Since the 17th century, Bornova has been one of the centers of interest for Western researchers and travelers who have taken ancient sources as their guide. During the Ottoman period, this region was a fertile agricultural region and the beautiful vegetation indicates that it is a summer resort. It is also known that the plain is very rich in terms of water resources.
From the middle of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, there was a Bornova Pier near what we now know as Smyrna Square. The ferries departing from Konak would drop the passengers at the Bornova pier, and from there they would come to Bornova Center by phaeton. In fact, the name of this extreme point of the Izmir Gulf was Bornova Gulf even in those years.Bornova is located at the center of the Izmir-Ankara, Izmir-Aydın and İzmir-Çanakkale highway network. With the arrival of the Metro and Garage in Bornova in 2000, its importance has increased even more. Known for its green, okra, tomato, pomegranate orchards and picnic areas, Bornova has hosted different cultures in the course of history and still maintains this mission.
Bornova Plain has suitable environmental conditions with its rich vegetation and animal resources in the Prehistoric period and it hosted the first settlers of Izmir. Excerpts from İzmir's oldest settlement were found in Yeşilova Mound within the borders of Bornova. As a result of the excavations carried out in 2005 and 2006, it was understood that the Yeşilova Mound, which was unearthed in the Bornova Plain, is also the oldest known settlement in the Aegean Region. It has been determined that the first communities started to settle in Yeşilova Mound 8 - 9 thousand years ago.
Settlement in Bornova, the oldest known name of which is "Birun-u Abad", started in the Hellenistic Period. Amazons, Hittites, Ionians, Phrygians, Lydians, Persians, Macedonians, Pergamon Kingdom and Romans ruled and lived in this region.
The Turks, who stepped into Anatolia with the Manzikert Victory in 1071, gave the management of Bornova to Emir Çakabey in 1076.
