Izmit Clock Tower
Izmit Clock Tower, also known as Kocaeli Clock Tower, is a clock tower located in Izmit, the center of Kocaeli. It is among the symbols of both the province and the city.
The construction of the 34th Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II's clock tower was started by Izmit Municipality following the initiative of the Izmit Mutasarrıfliği, in order to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his accession to the throne. The implementation of the project created by Architect Vedat (Tek) was carried out by Mihran Azaryan. On September 1, 1900, the foundation of the tower was laid, and although it was planned to be completed on the same day the following year, the process was delayed and in September 1902, the tower, which was not completely completed, was inaugurated.
Izmit Clock Tower, the only clock tower in the province, is located on the hill northeast of Izmit Garı in Kemalpaşa Neighborhood of Izmit, the center of Kocaeli province; it is located in the park around the Hunting Mansion Palace Museum. The tower in the neoclassical Ottoman architecture style is among the examples of the First National Architecture Movement. According to Afife Batur and Münevver Eminoğlu, “It is a design that gives a sense of Vedat's [Vedat Tek's] comfort in using both Ottoman and European architectural elements. It also exhibits Vedat's ability to find monumental forms on an urban scale.”
