Other Significant Churches
As part of the Ottoman Empire’s modernization efforts, the Tanzimat and Islahat Edicts sought to establish the concept of Ottoman citizenship. Many reforms introduced during this period aimed to eliminate the distinctions between non-Muslim and Muslim subjects. These regulations, which can be considered the first steps toward the modern state based on citizenship, also lifted […]
Aya Yorgios Church
In 19th-century photographs of İzmir, another church that appears alongside Aya Fotini is Aya Yorgios Church. It was the second-largest Greek Orthodox church in İzmir. Located at the intersection of Gazi Boulevard and Necatibey Boulevard (Necatibey Bulvarı), the church was close to Aya Fotini Cathedral. When the neighborhood administration was systemized in İzmir, the church […]
Aya Fotini Cathedral and Bell Tower
Aya Fotini Cathedral was once located at the intersection of Gazi Boulevard (Gazi Bulvarı) and Halit Ziya Boulevard (Halit Ziya Bulvarı). Today, the Kayahan Business Center stands on this site. However, when the cathedral was first built, it was situated by the sea. Recent research in Venetian archives has provided new insights into the history […]
Kemeraltı Mosque
Münir Aktepe, a researcher who has conducted significant studies on the historical and cultural heritage of İzmir, identifies Yusuf Çavuşzade Ahmet Ağa as the patron of Kemeraltı Mosque based on a waqfiyya dated November 3, 1671. Aktepe notes that the mosque must have been constructed before the date recorded in the waqfiyya and suggests that […]
Kestanepazarı Mosque
Located in Kemeraltı Bazaar, Kestanepazari Mosque was built in 1663 and, like other mosques constructed in the 17th century, originally stood by the seaside. In fact, Evliya Çelebi mentions in his Seyahatname that the sea used to surround the right and left of the mosque at the time, but these areas filled up and became […]
Başdurak Mosque
Başdurak Mosque, like Şadırvan(altı) and Kestanepazarı Mosques, was built along the shores of the inner harbor. The mosque’s construction inscription has not survived, but the earliest known information about it is found in Evliya Çelebi’s Seyahatname. According to this source, the mosque was built in 1652, and its patron was Hacı Hüseyin Ağa. However, neither […]
Şadırvan(altı) Mosque
Located within Kemeraltı Bazaar today, Şadırvan(altı) Mosque was originally built along the coastline, like the other mosques constructed throughout the 17th century. However, as the inner harbor area gradually filled in over time, the mosque lost its connection to the sea. As the mosque’s construction inscription has not survived to the present day, its exact […]
Hisar Mosque
The word “Hisar” is defined in the dictionary as “a small castle built of stone with high walls and towers, surrounded by moats, to protect a city or an important place.” Hisar Mosque takes its name from the Harbor Castle (also known as Lower Castle or Ok Castle), which was once of critical importance for […]
Sulu Han
Located in the han district, Sulu Han is estimated to have been built in the second half of the 17th century. There are two possible explanations for its name. The first suggests that a stream once flowed through a large open area in front of the main entrance, eventually emptying into the inner harbor. The […]
Fazlıoğlu (Dervişoğlu) Hanı
Estimated to have been built in the second half of the 17th century by Köprülü Fazıl Ahmet Paşa or his children, the han later became the property of the Dervişzade family, one of the prominent âyan (local notable) families of the Birgi district. Like other hans in the han district, it was constructed to serve […]