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A great place to start a day in Izmir is at Konak Square (Konak Meydanı), the busiest square in the city. It’s surrounded by government buildings and is full of street vendors, children feeding (and chasing) pigeons, and lots and lots of pigeons.
Izmir Clock Tower
In the center of the square is the very ornate Izmir Clock Tower (İzmir Saat Kulesi). It was built in 1901 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sultan Abdülhamid II’s accession to the throne. The clock was a gift from Kaiser Wilhelm II. It was designed by Levantine French architect Raymond Charles Père. It looks really amazing at night, too. Click here for a virtual tour.
Konak Mosque
Behind the clock tower (or in front, to the left, or right, depending on where you’re standing), there’s an interesting little mosque called the Konak Mosque (Konak Camii). It was built in 1755 and is also known as the Yalı Mosque (Yalı Camii). Click here for a virtual tour.
Government Buildings
The government buildings on the square are the Izmir City Hall and the Government Building (Hükümet Konağı), which was built in 1872 and houses the offices for the Izmir Province. The square is named after this building.
Park
A large park with a small section containing a cactus garden covers the southern part of the square. A pedestrian street along the park has more buildings and a shopping mall along it.
Library and Opera House
A block inland is the Izmir National Library (İzmir Milli Kütüphane), built in 1933. Attached to it on the left is the Izmir Opera and Ballet (İzmir Opera ve Balesi), originally built in 1926 as the Elhamra Cinema (Elhamra Sineması), a movie theatre. The world’s first “talkie”, The Jazz Singer, was shown there for the first time in Turkey.
