Kemeraltı Bazaar
Kemeraltı is a district and bazaar in Izmir, Turkey, starting from the Mezarlıkbaşı district in the Konak district and reaching Konak Square, where commercial activities are intense. Fevzipaşa Street and Eşrefpaşa Street form the land borders of the bazaar. It was formed with the filling of the sea coast and the opening of new settlement areas and trade houses since 1650-1670. The line of this expansion, which started from the location of Hisar Mosque, which was built in 1592, forms the current Anafartalar Street, in another way the old seashore line. One of the most important surviving buildings built is the Kızlarağası Inn, which was built by Hacı Beşir Ağa in 1744. Apart from this, many inns were built in the district. There are also many historical synagogues. In its early years, Kemeraltı Bazaar had the appearance of a covered bazaar covered with vaults and tiles, covering the streets. The bazaar maintained this feature until the end of the 19th century. Some of the side streets, which are open today, were also covered with barrel vaults. This bazaar, which was the heart of Izmir's commercial life in the 19th century, included old inns and covered bazaars. The shops here mostly met the needs of local people and low-income families. The bazaar consisted of blacksmiths, coal smiths, nail makers, spice shops and businesses such as the hay market. In the bazaar, each business house had formed separate sections in groups. Today, Kemeraltı Bazaar has moved away from this feature and has become an important shopping center of İzmir. Although some shops with vaults and domes have preserved their characteristics, mostly modern business centers, shops, cafeterias and cinemas are gathered here. In addition to these, there are also shops where ceramics, tile panels, wooden works, metal works, flat woven mats, carpets and rugs are sold, reflecting the examples of Turkish handicrafts. During the excavations carried out in 2016 at the entrance of the bazaar, an approximately 1800-year-old Roman bath was unearthed, but due to the lack of necessary care, it was covered with moss and reeds. The bazaar, which has been closed to the entrance of motor vehicles at certain hours since July 2018, has been pedestrianized. Kemeraltı was included in the World Heritage Tentative List as a part of the heritage site created by UNESCO in 2020 as "İzmir Historical Port City".
