Karşıyaka

Coordinates: 38°27′34″N 27°06′55″E / 38.45944°N 27.11528°E / 38.45944; 27.11528
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Karşıyaka
Kemal Paşa Street (Çarşı), seen from the top of the Karşıyaka pier
Kemal Paşa Street (Çarşı), seen from the top of the Karşıyaka pier
Map showing Karşıyaka District in İzmir Province
Map showing Karşıyaka District in İzmir Province
Karşıyaka is located in Turkey
Karşıyaka
Karşıyaka
Location in Turkey
Karşıyaka is located in İzmir
Karşıyaka
Karşıyaka
Karşıyaka (İzmir)
Coordinates: 38°27′34″N 27°06′55″E / 38.45944°N 27.11528°E / 38.45944; 27.11528
CountryTurkey
Provinceİzmir
Government
 • MayorBehice Yıldız Ünsal (CHP)
Area
51 km2 (20 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[1]
346,264
 • Density6,800/km2 (18,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+3 (TRT)
Area code0232
Websitewww.karsiyaka.bel.tr

Karşıyaka (pronounced

Karşıyaka SK
, which commands a large and passionate fan base.

Geology

Late created formations around Izmir consist of sandstone, shale and limestone blocks some of which may be larger than several kilometers. Such formations which are generally observed on hills around the region, are the main reasons for resistance on the hills. In addition to these, the community of neogen age can easily be estimated through the andesitic compounds of volcanic origin, around Mount Yamanlar. Such units can be listed as silicon, aluminum, sodium, lava with magnesium content, tuff and tuff stuffed lava agglomerates. The lava also contains reddish brown and greenish gray large feldspar crystals. Neogen sedimentary rocks are made up of clay stone, sandstone and pebble stones at dept while being made up only of limestone on the top. At some places clay stone is observed on limestone layers. It is possible to say that ground resistance is satisfactory in regions covered with limestone on top, while ground resistance is low in regions which has thin layers of limestone intercalated with mud rocks.

Climate and environment

Karşıyaka bears the general characteristics of the

Mediterranean climate zone. It is rainy in winter and hot in summer. As it is the case for İzmir's entire coastline, Karşıyaka benefits on a daily basis from the north-west wind called "imbat", because of which ships in the Gulf of İzmir will always be anchored in a northwest–southeast position, and which cools the city during summer days.[citation needed
]

Location

The industrial zone bringing together principally firms of local-scale, exception made of the notable presence of Alaybey shipyard are located in the eastern part of Karşıyaka. The same eastern corner also covers a zone of sparse settlement around the locality called Soğukkuyu, originally a seaside village of semi-nomadic Turkmens (

Yörüks) made to settle here in the 19th century, and to the north is a large forest area. Karşıyaka's centre is connected to İzmir's centre by a busy schedule of railways, roads, and commuter ferries, works for the extension of İzmir's underground line to Karşıyaka currently being carried out at a rapid pace, and there are also good road links to Menemen and Aliağa to the north, to reach Çanakkale
in north-west Turkey, and beyond. Originally a hamlet, then a remote suburb of İzmir in the 19th century, Karşıyaka became much larger and grew in stature in the 1960s when its waterfront developed as a prosperous residential neighbourhood.

Sport

]

Economy

Karşıyaka is deeply associated with commerce, construction of residences, education and literature, and is a prized area for pensioners, not only in the scale of İzmir but also from across Turkey as a whole. A total of 220,000 residences make up the urban area and the average yearly increase of the district population is 2.3 per cent. The district area having been almost entirely built up, Karşıyaka today acts principally as a residential centre for the workforce of İzmir's industry and services, who generally commute for work to neighbouring Çiğli and Bornova, Alsancak across the gulf, or even to locations further afield like Kemalpaşa and Manisa. The share of agriculture and industry in its economy is in constant decrease, while Karşıyaka's tourism potential remains an open field.

The waterfront is the wealthier part of Karşıyaka and it is here that residents of long date are generally concentrated. The neighbourhoods located along the slopes are poorer, with

foreign capital
and 143 commercial establishments in Karşıyaka are registered exporters. There are eighteen banks providing services through 61 branches in Karşıyaka, and a handful of hotels with a total bed capacity of 180. There is one teacher for 24 students and one doctor for 1,127 patients overall. The literacy rate is very high at 92 per cent. An environment of urban consciousness also favoured the foundation of a high number of professional organisations in varied fields in Karşıyaka, ranging from trade (such as KASİAD, BESİAD, BOGİAD) to education, usually centred on teachers or alumni of the district's rooted institutions.

History and sights of interest

Traces of the earliest phases of the timeline of İzmir, such as "The Tomb of Tantalus" and "Old Smyrna" are located at a stone's throw from Karşıyaka, in the very recently constituted metropolitan district of Bayraklı, which was formerly within the boundaries of the district of Karşıyaka.

Karşıyaka Pier in 2015

Karşıyaka was described in frequent terms of admiration by travellers who visited İzmir, and they could not help but mention in detail the dense forests of Mount Yamanlar, reaching as far as the coast, and the gardens and orchards which garnish the shoreline and along the beds of its four streams, namely Ahırkuyu, Serinkuyu, Laka and Bornova.[

Crusaders of the Third Crusade who was accosted here and had named it in honour of Europe's most famed soldier of the time. This explanation of the name is disputed, some sources taking as point of departure the mention of the name (in the form "Kordeleon") in Byzantine documents of the 14th century and questioning whether the name Cordelio is the continuation of a more ancient settlement yet unexplored, as is most of ancient Aeolia.[4]

St. Helena Church in Karşıyaka

Still very leafy and lush generally despite intensive construction of medium- to

Abdülhamid II and named "Hamidiye" for this reason. A second shipping company put two other ferries in service starting 1880, followed in 1884 by a third company. Very rapidly, it became fashionable for European and Levantine inhabitants of İzmir, concentrated in Bornova and Buca
until then, to build or purchase houses in Karşıyaka particularly for the dowry of their daughters, which contributed to the growing popularity among the rich of the gulf's northern shores.

Levantine-built Loehner Mansion in Karşıyaka

In pace with its resort-like atmosphere, Karşıyaka saw a number of Ottoman konaks or Levantine mansions erected within its boundaries, especially along the shoreline and serving as secondary residence. Luxury multi-storey residences at immediate seaside quickly rose next to modest inner quartiers around the train station where the working class was concentrated and the Turkish village of Soğukkuyu [5] The commuting movements and the way of life of İzmir's inhabitants were profoundly changed since then with Karşıyaka becoming part of the urban fabric.

By the time of the 1891 census, Karşıyaka had already acquired the appearance of a large township with 832 houses and a permanent population of 1080. A sizable Turkish population settled in Karşıyaka's Soğukkuyu some time before that date and that area is still distinguished by its rustic houses in the middle of the urban zone. In the meantime, the former village of Papa Scala or Papazkale or Papazköyü or Papaz İskelesi (Priest's quay) to the west came to be known as Bostanlı, in reference to

watermelons from Menemen which were discharged and loaded on ships here.[6]

Atatürk
's wife) in Karşıyaka, prior to its restoration (2006)
Latife Hanım
House after having been restored by the municipality (2008)

The four most important reminders of the Levantine heritage still intact in Karşıyaka are the Alliotti, Penetti, Van Der Zee, and Löhner houses. The first was built by a prominent Levantine family of

café
(Eski Ev Cafe).

Cretan-Turk within the vanguard of the 14th Cavalry Division which liberated Karşıyaka on 9 September 1922.[7][8]

There is also a 1904-built

, notably, was baptised there.

There are also more modest but still lovely little houses, characterised by their engaged front doors and narrow lines, termed as "

Sakız houses
", and which are highly typical of the region surrounding İzmir.

Karşıyaka is also where

Latife Uşşaki
, Mustafa Kemal Pasha's wife, is restored and it is located right in the centre of the urban zone, near the main commercial street, Karşıyaka's famous Çarşı.

Atatürk's feelings and words about Karşıyaka: İzmir‘in Karşıyakalıları ... Sizi derin muhabbetle selamlarım ... Ben bütün İzmir’i ve bütün İzmirlileri severim. Güzel İzmir’in temiz kalpli insanlarının da beni sevdiklerine eminim. Yanlız bir rastlantı beni Karşıyaka’ya daha fazla bağlamıştır. Karşıyakalılar, annem sinenizde, sizin topraklarınızda yatıyor. Karşıyakalılar, İzmir’i gördüğüm gün öncelikle Karşıyaka’yı ve orada sizin Türk topraklarınızda yatan anamın mezarını gördüm.

Administration

Karşıyaka is a stronghold of the social-democrats. Currently, the municipality is administered by Behice Yıldız Ünsal of the CHP (Republican People's Party).

Composition

There are 27

neighbourhoods in Karşıyaka District:[9]

International relations

Karşıyaka is

twinned with
:

Gallery

  • Osman Bey Park in Karşıyaka
    Osman Bey Park in Karşıyaka
  • Typical residential buildings of the Karşıyaka neighbourhood
    Typical residential buildings of the Karşıyaka neighbourhood
  • Buildings in Mavişehir from Bostanlı shore
    Buildings in Mavişehir from Bostanlı shore
  • Mavişehir shore
    Mavişehir shore

See also

External links

Resources

  • "Karşıyaka, 39p" (PDF) (in Turkish). İzmir Chamber of Commerce. 2007.

Footnotes

  1. ^
    TÜİK
    . Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  2. ^ Büyükşehir İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  3. ^ "İl ve İlçe Yüz ölçümleri". General Directorate of Mapping. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  4. ^ N. Ezgi Türken. "Investigation of Water Conveyance Systems of Historical Settlements in the north of the Aegean Region from hydraulic and hydrological point opf view" (PDF). Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir (unpublished master thesis). Archived from the original (PDF) on September 29, 2007. Retrieved 2006-04-01. (in English)
  5. .
  6. tree fruits
    , such as melons and watermelons
  7. ^ "Neler Yapabilirsiniz - T.C. Karşıyaka Belediyesi - Resmi Web Sitesi". www.karsiyaka.bel.tr. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
  8. .
  9. ^ Mahalle, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 July 2023.