Description of the attraction
Izmir's central square, called Konak Meidani, is located at the southern end of Ataturk Street. It is quite long and stretches straight to the Izmir Bay. Most of the square is occupied by the central bus station, so it is always crowded here. On the territory of Konak Square there are boat docks, administrative buildings, cultural centers and hospitals. The nearby shopping districts are full of shops, gift shops and lively restaurants. In recent years, the square has been improved and, together with the surrounding pedestrian streets, turned into the main tourist area of the city.
In the very center of Konak Square rises the 25-meter Clock Tower - one of the most important symbols of the city. The clock tower, also called Saat Kulesi, was built in 1901 by the French architect Raymond Charles Pere as a gift to the city from Sultan Abdulhamid. The large clock that adorns the tower is a gift from the German Emperor Wilhelm II. The tower is made in the late Ottoman style and, oddly enough, does not contain any inscriptions.
Next to the governor's mansion on the square is a small octahedral mosque called Yakhli, which means “coastal” in Turkish. The mosque was built in 1754 at the expense of Aishe Khanym, the wife of a wealthy Izmir landowner Katipzade Mehmed Pasha. It is small but graceful and decorated with colorful ceramic tiles from Kutahya. The mosque is faced with turquoise tiled tiles.
The Museum of Fine Arts is located not far from the square. Its halls display works by contemporary Turkish artists. There is also a wonderful Archaeological Museum that preserves the ancient history of Izmir. Its basement houses ancient sarcophagi, elaborate bas-reliefs and several beautiful sculptures, including statues of Demeter and Poseidon. On the south side of Konak Square is the Aegean University Cultural Center, which is a complex of buildings of an unusual architectural style, which includes a music academy, an opera, exhibition halls and the Museum of Modern Art.
Konak Square has been the most popular meeting place for locals for many years.
