İzmir Clock Tower

The Saat Kulesi was built in 1901 to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of Abdülhamid II's accession, one of many clock towers put up across the empire for the occasion, and it is the most elaborate of them. The design is by the Levantine architect Raymond Charles Père, in an Ottoman-Moorish style: twenty-five metres of pale stone in four diminishing stages, with horseshoe arches, columns and a fountain at each corner of the base. The clock itself was a gift from the German emperor Wilhelm II. It stands in Konak Square with palms around it, pigeons all over it and the small tiled Konak Mosque of 1755 alongside, and the square opens straight onto the waterfront, so the tower, the ferry pier and the Kemeraltı bazaar are all within a couple of minutes of each other. Earthquakes in 1928 and 1974 brought down its top, which was rebuilt each time, and it is on the city's coat of arms.

History

At a meeting on 1 August 1900 the governor Kâmil Pasha and İzmir's leading citizens decided to build a clock tower for the 25th anniversary of Abdul Hamid II's accession. Raymond Charles Péré designed it, building began on 1 September 1900 and ended in August 1901; earthquakes in 1928 and 1974 brought down its top, and it was restored in 2019 (Wikipedia, İzmir Clock Tower).

Highlights

• The four-stage tower - stone arches and corner fountains.
• The German clock - the face given by Wilhelm II.
• Konak Square - palms, pigeons and the waterfront beyond.
• The Konak Mosque - the small tiled mosque alongside.

When to go

April to June and September to October. Early morning or evening for photographs; the square is crowded and hot through the middle of the day.

Things to know

It is a monument in a busy public square - twenty minutes and you have seen it. The tower is not open to climb. Pigeon feed sellers and crowds are constant.

Nearby

The Kemeraltı bazaar begins behind the square; the Kordon promenade runs north along the water.

Key facts