About the title
The ancient Greek city of Smyrna was occupied by the Ottomans for centuries, yet remained a multinational city where Greeks, Turks, Armenians, Jews and other peoples lived together in peace. In 1922 the Greek army, which had gained control of Smyrna (now the Turkish city of Izmir) under the terms of the post-war treaty, suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Turks and was forced to retreat. The ruthless massacre of the Greeks and Armenians in the city began.