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İzmir Clock Tower

Coordinates: 38°25′07.9″N 27°07′43.2″E / 38.418861°N 27.128667°E / 38.418861; 27.128667
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İzmir Clock Tower
İzmir Saat Kulesi
Map
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 / 38.418861°N 27.128667°E / 38.418861; 27.128667
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

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]

History

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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

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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

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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]

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  • 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)

References

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  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. ^ a b c d 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. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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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