When you think of İzmir, the Clock Tower is always among the first things that come to mind. Shaped as the city’s modern administrative center in the 19th century, Konak Square was virtually completed with the construction of the Clock Tower.
Modernization is closely related to time management. The developments brought by industrialization necessitated a new concept of time management, which was absent in traditional societies’ perception of time. Instead of vague measurements such as morning light, afternoon time, first frost, last frost, or midwinter, a new perception of time composed of milliseconds, seconds, minutes, and hours took place. In this sense, modernization is essentially a transition to a new concept of time. Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar’s novel The Time Regulation Institute masterfully narrates this transition through literary expression. Clock towers, in essence, are the urban symbols of this new perception of time, representing the transition from traditional society to modern society.
The proliferation of clock towers in the Ottoman Empire took place at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. In honor of the 25th anniversary of Sultan Abdülhamid II’s accession to the throne, a national holiday was declared across the country, and a decree was issued instructing provincial authorities to construct clock towers in many cities. The governor of İzmir at the time was Kıbrıslı Kâmil Paşa, who had also previously served as grand vizier. Under Kâmil Paşa’s directive, a commission was established for the construction of the clock tower, and one of the leading Levantine architects of the period, Raymond Charles Pere, was appointed as the architect.
The Clock Tower, the most significant example of Orientalist architecture in İzmir, rises on an octagonal marble platform. Four stories high and 25 meters tall, the tower features four baldachin-style water structures at each corner of its octagonal platform. A rectangular pool was placed at the base of the structure. Due to this feature, it was referred to as the “fountain monument” by the public during its time.
İzmir Clock Tower was largely funded by public donations, covering more than half of its construction costs. The tower was completed within a year and inaugurated in 1901. In 1902, a jeweler from İstanbul, Master Zingulli, was commissioned to create a 90 cm-high replica of the clock tower made of solid silver and adorned with precious stones. This model was presented to Sultan Abdülhamid II by the Mayor of İzmir, Eşref Paşa, and the Governor of İzmir, Kâmil Paşa’s son, Said Paşa. Today, the model is exhibited at the Topkapı Palace Museum.
Over time, the İzmir Clock Tower has become so deeply integrated with the city that it has turned into its ultimate symbol. You see it in the logo of the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, on the covers of promotional documents about the city, and in videos narrating İzmir—most of them either begin or end with it. If you are from İzmir, you have likely uttered a phrase that includes “… let’s meet at the Clock Tower…” Simply put, the Clock Tower is İzmir itself.