Karşıyaka
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| Karşıyaka | |
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country |  Turkey |
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| Region | Aegean |
| Province | İzmir |
| Government | |
| - Mayor | Cevat Durak Republican People's Party |
| Area | |
| - Total | 102.4 km2 (39.5 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 0-700 m (-2,297 ft) |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| - Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
| Postal code | 35x xx |
| Area code(s) | 0232 |
| Licence plate | 35 |
| Website | http://www.karsiyaka.bel.tr |
Karşıyaka is a district of İzmir Province in Turkey. It is one of the nine districts in the Greater Metropolitan Area of İzmir, the second largest after Konak in terms of population, and is almost entirely urbanized at the rate of 99,9 per cent, with corresponding high levels of development in terms of lifestyle and services. Karşıyaka district area extends for twelve kilometers along the northern and eastern coastline of the tip of the Gulf of İzmir. Karşıyaka center is at a distance of 20 km (12 mi) to the north from the traditional center of İzmir (Konak) on the opposite coast, and İzmir center is of quicker and easier access by ferry, in fifteen minutes, than by land by going round the shore. Karşıyaka district area neighbors the district areas of Menemen to the north, Bornova to the east and Çiğli in juxtaposition to the west, the last two also being among İzmir's metropolitan districts. The district's overall level of education is one of the highest in Turkey and besides being an active venue of commerce, culture and tourism, Karşıyaka boasts of an advanced urban culture centered around the cherished home team Karşıyaka SK, which commands a large and passionate fan base.
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[edit] Location
Karşıyaka borders an industrial zone of local-scale firms and Alaybey shipyard to the east, as well as a sparse settlement zone around the locality called Soğukkuyu, originally a seaside village of semi-nomadic Turkmens made to settle here a century ago, and to the north, a large forest area. Karşıyaka center is connected to İzmir center by a busy schedule of railways, roads, and commuter ferries, and there are also good road links to Menemen and Aliağa to the north, to reach Çanakkale in north western Turkey, and beyond. Originally a remote suburb of İzmir, Karşıyaka became larger and grew in stature in the 1960s when its waterfront developed as a prosperous residential neighbourhood.
[edit] Climate and environment
Karşıyaka bears the general charactristics of the Mediterranean climate zone. The city is rainy in winter and hot in summer. As with the entire coastline of İzmir, Karşıyaka benefits daily from the northwest 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 the summer days.
[edit] Administration
The urban zone of Karşıyaka is divided into 43 officially constituted neighborhoods, and the district also counts two depending villages, Sancaklı and Yamanlar, the last being located near the summit of the mountain of the same name, Mount Yamanlar, which towers over Karşıyaka and the Gulf.
Karşıyaka is a stronghold of the social-democrats. Currently, the municipality is administered by Cevat Durak of the CHP (Republican People's Party).
[edit] 35.5 and Karşıyaka S.K.
Karşıyaka SK is the sports club of Karşıyaka. It is also called "KSK", and locally as Kaf Sin Kaf, following the initials in Arabic script since the clubs past dates back to Ottoman times. The club has a large and very passionate fan base. Although its football team is presently in the second level of the Turkish football league system, it still represents İzmir's strongest bid for the Süper Lig. Karşıyaka S.K.'s basketball and volleyball branches, known respectively as Pınar Karşıyaka and Karşıyaka DYO by the name of their sponsors, are leading contenders in their fields. The club also has cue sports, bowling, motorcycle, tennis, sailing and swimming divisions.
The district's overall level of education is one of the highest in Turkey and Karşıyaka boasts of an advanced urban culture. The locals are highly conscious of their values and specifities, centered around their district's notable past and present inhabitants and location, as well as around the red and green colors of their sports club. Sometimes with a touch of humor, but also sometimes more seriously, they immatriculate their cherished district of Karşıyaka as 35.5, as opposed to İzmir's 35.
[edit] Economy
Karşıyaka is deeply associated with commerce, construction of residences, education and literature, and is a prized area for pensioners, both from İzmir but also from across Turkey. A total of 220,000 residences constitute the urban area and the average yearly increase of the district population is 2.3 per cent. The district having been almost entirely built up, Karşıyaka today generally acts as a residential center for the industry and services workforce who commute for work to neighboring Çiğli and Bornova, Alsancak across the gulf, or even to further locations like Kemalpaşa and Manisa. The share of agriculture and industry in its economy is in constant decrease, its tourism potential remains an open field.
Coastal strait is the wealthier part of Karşıyaka where long-time residents are generally concentrated. The neighborhoods located along the slopes are poorer, with slum-type residences in parts, and continue receiving flows of immigration, especially from Turkey's Eastern Anatolia Region. The district counts a total of 11,570 enterprises, 207 of which are identified as industrial firms, and 3,180 categorized under commerce. Nine industrial companies have full or partial 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 favored the foundation of a high number of professional organizations in varied fields in Karşıyaka, ranging from trade (such as KASİAD, BESİAD, BOGİAD) to education, usually centered around teachers or alumnis of the district's rooted institutions.
[edit] History and sights of interest
Traces of the earliest phases of the timeline of İzmir, such as "The Tomb of Tantalus" on Mount Yamanlar and "Old Smyrna" in Bayraklı, are located today within the boundaries of the district of Karşıyaka.
Karşıyaka was described by travellers who visited İzmir in frequent terms of admiration, and they could not help mention in detail the dense forests of Mount Yamanlar, reaching as far as the coast, and the beautiful gardens and orchards which garnished the shoreline and along the beds of its four streams, Ahırkuyu, Serinkuyu, Laka and Bornova. Named Karşıyaka (literally "the opposite shore") in Turkish since the 11th century, the locality was alternatively called Cordelio or Cordelieu or Kordelyo in European or Greek sources until the beginning of the 20th century. These names are supposed to make reference to Richard the Lionheart (Coeur de Lion), who is not attested to have come to these shores in person. But it was generally claimed that the area was named in the 1190s by a contingent of Crusaders of the Third Crusade who had accosted here and had named it in honor of Europe's most famed soldier of the time. On the other hand, some sources take as point of departure the mention of the name (in the form "Kordeleon") in Byzantine documents of the 14th century and question whether the name is the continuation of that of a more ancient settlement yet unexplored, as is most of ancient Aeolia [1].
The district is still very leafy and lush, and it grew in size especially after the entry into service of İzmir-Menemen railroad in 1865 and the beginning of urban ferry services under the imperial lease of Hamidiye in 1885.
In pace with its resort-like atmosphere, Karşıyaka saw a number of beautiful Ottoman konaks or Levantine mansions erected within its boundaries, especially along the shoreline and serving as secondary residence. 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 was also made to settle in Karşıyaka's Soğukkuyu quarter at that time 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 melons and watermelons from Menemen which were discharged and loaded on ships here [2].
The three most important traces of the Levantine heritage still existing in Karşıyaka are the Alliotti, Van Der Zee and Löhner houses. The first was built by a prominent family of Italian origins in 1914 and was exchanged in the 1920s against property belonging to Durmuş Yaşar, the founder of Yaşar Holding. The mansion is known today under Yaşar's name and serves as a vocational training center. The two others are recently restored and the first floor of the Van Der Zee mansion has been put by the municipality to the service of the public in the form of a café (Eski Ev Cafe). There is also a 1904-built Catholic Church (Saint Helen church) that served a community of about 200 families and which is recently restored. Edouard Balladur, the former Prime Minister of France, notably, was baptized there.
| 19th century landmarks of Karşıyaka | Explanations |
| Latife Uşşaki House Zübeyde Hanım House |
One of the houses that belonged to Atatürk's wife, Latife Uşşaki (The other is across the shore in Göztepe). This house in Karşıyaka is where Atatürk's mother, Zübeyde Hanım, died. Restored in 2008 by the municipality |
| Löhner House | Restored in 2003 by the municipality |
| Van Der Zee House | Restored for use as a social venue |
| Penetti House | |
| Alliotti House | Restored by Yaşar Group of Companies |
| St. Helen Catholic Church | In use as Catholic Church |
| Club Petrococchino | Still a cosmopolitan café near the pier |
There are also more modest but still lovely little houses, characterized by their engaged front doors and narrow lines, termed as "Sakız houses", and which are very typical of the region surrounding İzmir.
Karşıyaka is also where Zübeyde Hanım, Atatürk's mother, spent her last days in end-1922 and January 1923, and is where she is buried. The house she died, which belonged to the family of Latife Uşşaki, Mustafa Kemal Pasha's wife, is restored and it is located right in the center of the urban zone, near the main commercial street, Karşıyaka's famous Çarşı.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] Resources
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ 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". Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir (unpublished master thesis). http://www.fbe.deu.edu.tr/tezler/2006/YL-p1981.pdf. Retrieved on 2006-04-01. (English)
- ^ "Bostan" generally means a vegetable garden or a kitchen garden in Turkish, but the term also encompasses a garden for non-tree fruits, such as melons and watermelons
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Settlements in Karşıyaka District, İzmir, Turkey | |
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