Layers of Smyrna
Konak Square and the Clock Tower
The postcard of Izmir — the 1901 clock tower, pigeons, a tiny tiled mosque, and the bay right there.
Why do it?
Every city has one photograph, and Izmir's is the ornate Ottoman clock tower on Konak Square, with the small tiled Yalı Mosque beside it and the ferry pier just beyond. More usefully for a newcomer, this square is the city's pivot point: Kemeraltı starts at its edge, ferries leave from its waterfront, and the Kordon stretches away north. Learn Konak Square and you've learned how the center of Izmir fits together.
The Smileys Take
It's a twenty-minute stop, not an afternoon — which is exactly why it slots perfectly at the start of a first-week walk: square, then Kemeraltı, then a ferry across the bay. Have a look inside the little Yalı Mosque, and walk the shoreline to Konak Pier, the old harbor customs building turned waterfront arcade.
Explore nearby
Do it with people
The Smileys community does things like this every week — organized events, spontaneous hangouts, and visitors looking for company.
Tips from Smileys
More like this
There's always more Izmir.