Built to protect their users from sun and rain, stoas could be impressive structures, as was the West Stoa, which had three galleries and measured 75 m. by 18 m. This monument was badly damaged by the earthquake that destroyed the city in 178 A. D. but, like the rest of the Agora, it was rebuilt in a single year with the help of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, according to the orator Aelius Aristides. The arches in the story below ground level were added to the original building to strengthen it against earthquakes.
Reconstruction of the West Gate
The West Gate of the Agora was restored in 2004 with the collaboration of the French Archaeological Mission of Smyrna. The missing portions were replaced with marble from Proconnesos (Marmara Adası), the same marble used in the original structure. A female portrait traditionally identified as that of Faustina, wife of Marcus Aurelius, adorns the keystone.
The abundant spring that rises near the Agora determined the site of the city of Smyrna when it was refounded at the beginning of the Hellenistic period. The many water channels and the large reservoirs built into the southern part of the West Stoa point to the omnipresence of water in the Agora.
The Agora is surrounded by modern buildings, which still cover its eastern and southern parts. The demolition of these structures, and the excavation and restoration of the ancient buildings are carried out simultaneously under the authority of the Izmir Museum of Archaeology. The old restorations are being renovated, with concrete being replaced by marble.
Descriptions of the city by ancient authors and the large architectural elements found in the excavations demonstrate that important buildings exist in the Agora which await discovery. Ancient foundations still to be unearthed lie both under the Agora Park to the south and near the center of the Agora.
