İzmir Clock Tower

İzmir Clock Tower (Turkish: İzmir Saat Kulesi) is a historic clock tower located at the Konak Square in the Konak district of İzmir, Turkey. It is considered as the main landmark of the city.[1][2]

İzmir Clock Tower
İzmir Saat Kulesi
Former namesHamidiye Tower
General information
TypeClock tower
Architectural styleOttoman architecture
LocationKonak Square
Town or cityİzmir
CountryTurkey
Coordinates38°25′07.9″N 27°07′43.2″E
Groundbreaking1 September 1900
CompletedAugust 1901
Inaugurated1 September 1901
Renovated1928, 1974, 2019
Height25 m (82 ft)
Technical details
MaterialStone, marble
Floor count4
Grounds81 m2 (870 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Raymond Charles Péré

History

Kâmil Pasha, the then-Governor of Aidin Vilayet, held a meeting with the prominent people of İzmir on 1 August 1900.[3] It was decided a clock tower to be built in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Abdul Hamid II's accession to the throne.[3] The clock tower was designed by the Levantine French architect Raymond Charles Péré.[3] The groundbreaking ceremony of the construction was held on 1 September 1900.[3] The tower was completed in August 1901 and officially inaugurated on 1 September 1901, the 25th anniversary of the sultan's accession to the throne.[3]

The top of the tower was destroyed in a magnitude 6.4 earthquake on 31 March 1928 and again in a magnitude 5.2 earthquake on 1 February 1974.[3][4] During the protests against the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, the clock of the tower was stolen.[5][6] The tower underwent restoration in 2019.[7][8]

Architecture

The tower, which has an iron and lead skeleton, is 25 m (82 ft) high and features four fountains (şadırvan), which are placed around the base in a circular pattern.[2][3] The ground area of the tower is 81 m2 (870 sq ft)[3] The tower has an octagonal plan and four floors.[2][3] It was made of marble and stone.[2] The tower has four clocks with a diameter of 75 cm.[3] There is a bell on the fourth floor which is carried by twelve columns.[3] There were tughras and Ottoman coats of arms on four sides of the tower.[3] After the proclamation of the republic, they were engraved and replaced with stars and crescents.[9]

Depictions

The clock tower was depicted on the reverse of the Turkish 500 lira banknotes of 1983–1989.[10] It is also featured on the emblem of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality.[11][12] A 1:25 scale model of the tower is on display in Miniatürk.[13]

  • Night-time view of the tower (2017)
    Night-time view of the tower (2017)
  • Renovation of the tower (2019)
    Renovation of the tower (2019)
  • One of the fountains in the tower
    One of the fountains in the tower
  • Reverse of the 500 lira banknote (1983–1989)
    Reverse of the 500 lira banknote (1983–1989)

See also

References
  1. Uluengin, Mehmet Bengü (February 2010). "Secularizing Anatolia tick by tick: Clock towers in the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic". International Journal of Middle East Studies. Vol. 42, no. 1.
  2. Kılıçaslan, Çiğdem; Malkoç True, Emine (November 2015). "Evaluation of Izmir Clock Tower & Konak Square and Their Environs with Regard to User - Space Interaction" (PDF). International Conference on Sustainable Development. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  3. Yetkin, Sabri. "Saat Kulesi" (in Turkish). Ahmet Piriştina City Archives and Museum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  4. Özkan, Çetin; Kaya, İbrahim (August 2011). "İşte saat, işte tarih, işte tanık". NTV Tarih (in Turkish). pp. 6–7. ISSN 1308-7878.
  5. "İzmir'deki tarihi Saat Kulesi'nde ağır hasar". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 16 July 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  6. "Büyükşehir'den Saat Kulesi için suç duyurusu" (in Turkish). Haberturk.com. 18 July 2016. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  7. "İzmir'de tarihi Saat Kulesi'nde restorasyon!" (in Turkish). Haberturk.com. 3 February 2019. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  8. Canpolat, Çiğdem (14 September 2019). "İzmir Saat Kulesi yüzünü gösterdi" (in Turkish). Öncü Şehir. Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  9. Yılmaz, Fikret (2003). Tarihsel Süreç İçinde Konak Meydanı (in Turkish). İzmir Büyükşehir Belediyesi Kültür Yayını.
  10. Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey Archived 2009-06-03 at WebCite. Banknote Museum: 7. Emission Group - Five Hundred Turkish Lira - I. Series Archived 2011-06-16 at the Wayback Machine & II. Series Archived 2011-06-16 at the Wayback Machine. – Retrieved on 20 April 2009.
  11. "Basın materyalleri" (in Turkish). İzmir Metropolitan Municipality. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  12. "İzmir Büyükşehir Belediyesi, 'logo'sunu değiştirdi". Hürriyet (in Turkish). 12 January 2007. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
  13. "İzmir Clock Tower". Miniatürk. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
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