Konak
General Information
District: Izmir, State: Aegean Region, Turkey
Area: 234 km²
Languages Spoken: Turkish
Long Distance Code: (+90) 0232
Best Time to Visit: May to August
International Access: Izmir Adnan Menderes International Airport (ADB)Description
Location and administration: The name "Konak" was previously used for Izmir's historic core neighborhood, as well as for its key central square (Konak Square - Konak Meydani). For example, Karsiyaka along the opposing northern shore did not always consider itself as an integral part of Izmir, or in any case, had marking specifities and points of rivalry. Administrative history of Konak started in 1983-1984 when the steps towards the constitution of a Metropolitan Municipality of Izmir, itself divided into districts, were taken. In 1987, the territory of former district of central Izmir of was re-named the district of Konak (with the exception of its former dependency of Buca, which was turned into a separate district), and the name Izmir implies the entire metropolitan area since then. The municipality of Konak came into effect in full terms in July 1988. Konak district area starts at the tip of the Gulf of Izmir and follows the southern shoreline, covering such prominent neighborhoods of Izmir as, respectively from east to west, Alsancak with its international freight and passenger port, Konak Square proper and Kemeralti and Cankaya bazaar areas and Kültürpark, where İzmir International Fair is held, immediately behind it, Karatas, the former Jewish neighborhood marked by Asansör building, and Göztepe, famous for its football team, among others, further along the coast towards the west, as well as the hillside zone behind these, notably the quarters of Esrefpasa and Hatay. For both the metropolitan area and Izmir Province in general, Konak still represents the administrative nerve center, with the governorship, the offices of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, the commercial areas, and other important administrative and private headquarters being situated within the boundaries of Konak. The name konak itself means, inter alia, government house or official residence in Turkish and refers in the case of Konak, Izmir, to the residence built for the governor between 1869-1972 at the spot and as a replacement of the mansion of Katipzade, a family of notables who controlled the city and the region between 1750-1820. The new building was intended to emphasize the prestige acquired by a growing international trade center and its design and furnishings were consequently luxurious. The building marked the move for the seat of the vilayet of Aydin to Izmir, initiated in 1865. In recent years, there is a move toward decentralization and shift also to other districts of Izmir by official and private headquarters, notably with the building of a new and huge Hall of Justice in Bornova. History: The core areas of Konak Square and Kemeralti were formed with the filling in due course during the 17th century of the shallow inner bay of Izmir and immediate outer coastal reaches. Kemeralti bazaar came into existence with the filling between 1650-1670 of the shallowest parts of the bay and the process of gaining ground from the sea bay was pursued progressively. The shoreline took its present form by the end of the 18th century in approximate terms, although some of the land along the berth remained unused till the mid-19th century. In 1829, Sari Kisla, the Yellow Casern, the principal Ottoman casern of the city, gigantic for its time, was built at immediate sea-side, and a private residence (konak) situated slightly diagonally behind the casern was extended and converted into the governor's mansion, demarcating Konak Square that holds its name from the mansion, and which in its turn gave the name to the central metropolitan district of Izmir (Konak), and at the level of which Kemeralti is considered to start. The Yellow Casern was demolished in 1955 under express instructions from the then Prime Minister Adnan Menderes, who wanted to see Konak Square re-shaped, to the continuing regret of many Smyrniots who had come to adopt the oversize building as one of the main landmarks of their city. Konak Square is still where the best symbols of Izmir are found. Kadifekale, originally built at the end of the 4th century BC, is the millenary "Pagos" of ancient Greek and Byzantine times and "Pagus" of Roman and Genoese periods of Izmir. The Turkish name Kadifekale literally means "the velvet castle" and is used both for the castle and for the hill on whose summit the castle is situated. The summit is located at a distance of about 2 km from the shoreline and commands a general view of a large part of the city of Izmir, as well as of the Gulf of Izmir. Agora of Smyrna: As is the case with Pagos hilltop castle at Kadifekale, the foundation of the second city of Smyrna to replace its Archaic Period predecessor at what is Bayrakli district today, is associated and contemporaneous with Alexander the Great, although the present-day remains date from later periods. In the case of ancient Smyrna, the ruins are centered around the Roman period Agora of the city, rebuilt after a 178 AD earthquake, although much evidence leads to the conclusion that further research could bring many other vestiges of the antique city to daylight. A new drive in the last decade, once the excavations were placed under the authority of Izmir's Metropolitan Municipal Administration, led to new acquisitions of land around the site of the Agora, incurring considerable expenses and with the objective of enlarging the area to explore. First scientific explorations at the Agora of Smyrna were conducted by Charles Texier in late-1830s and the present state of the site as accessible to visitors is the consequence of the work accomplished between 1931 and 1942 by the archaeologists Rudolf Naumann and Selâhattin Kantar. Konak Square is the central point where the structure that became Izmir city's symbol, Izmir Clock Tower, built upon decision of the city council by the Levantine French architect Raymond Charles Père on the occasion of Sultan Abdülhamid II's silver jubilee (1901), is found. The tower is in front of Izmir Governor's official residence (Konak), an almost identical replica of the original building built between 1869 and 1872, which itself was lost to a fire in 1970. Between the two structures, the tower and the "konak", is a very small mosque, a curiosity today and which was formerly annexed by a medrese, which also dates from the time of the Katipzade, having been built around 1755. The eastern end of Konak Square is marked by Konak Pier, a 19th century construction whose steelworks are claimed to have been designed by Gustave Eiffel. The western end is the location of another 19th century Levantine/European landmark of the city (see below) , Izmir Ethnography and Archaeology Museum, originally built as an orphanage. The central part of the square, just next to the Clock Tower and the Governor's Mansion, leads access to Kemeralti bazaar area and to the Agora of Smyrna beyond at the bazaar's land's end. Covering the area between Konak Square and the Agora of Smyrna, Kemeralti Bazaar is a part of Izmir where residential buildings are practically absent and which consists, not on only of hundreds of commercial establishments but also of numerous religious buildings (historic mosques and synagogues) concentrated in walking distance from each other. Izmir center's two largest churches, a Catholic church dedicated to Polycarp and the Greek Orthodox church of "Aya Vukla", premises of the archaeological museum until recently and currently in phase of being restored, are also located slightly outside Kemeralti zone. The entire area corresponds to Izmir's small inner bay which existed until the 18th century and is thus land gained from the sea. 1590-built Hisar Mosque and the 1744-built Kizlaragasi led the pace for the establishment of a commercial zone here which is still marked by many buildings of Izmir's Ottoman period. Kordon (seaside promenade): Alsancak is a neighborhood of well-designed streets and modern apartment blocks and stores and also where Izmir's trendiest and the most expensive and exclusive residences and commercial space are found here, as well as the busiest office buildings, including consulates. It extends along the First Kordon and the Second Kordon, the first having taken present-day look with the construction of Izmir's new port installations between 1867-1876. With the project, the wharf (Pasaport Quay), as well as a 3250 m long combination of a landing stage, of a street served by a tram line and of an esplanade (Kordon) came into existence, all built on land gained from the sea, and profoundly changing the city's look. Many restaurants, bars, cafes, discothèques and other entertainment venues are concentrated in Alsancak, increasingly within the intact rows of older and more traditional one- or two-storied buildings found in the inner smaller streets and are often restored specifically for the purpose of the intended commercial activity.Location
Konak is a district of Izmir Province in Turkey. It is one of the nine districts in the Greater Metropolitan Area of Izmir, the largest in terms of population and its core urban zone occupies a central position, geographically, administratively, economically and historically, within Izmir. Konak district area extends for 11,4 km along the southern coastline of the Gulf of Izmir tip. A long panhandle that the district area draws in the direction of the southwest, on the other hand, also covers a large rural area, mostly covered with mountains and forests, and two isolated villages. Konak district area neighbors the district areas of Bornova to the east, Balcova to the west and Buca and Gaziemir to the south, all of which are also among Izmir's metropolitan districts. Konak center is connected to other districts of Izmir and beyond by a dense network of roads and railroads, as well as by a subway line currently being largely extended and by ferry services to Karsiyaka.Climate
İzmir has a typical Mediterranean climate which is characterized by long, hot and dry summers; and mild to cool, rainy winters. The total precipitation for İzmir averages 706 mm (27.8 inches) per year; however, 77% of that falls during November through Ma