Kemeraltı

The district covers a vast area extending from the level of the Agora of Smyrna (the quarters of Namazgah, Mezarlıkbaşı and İkiçeşmelik), to the seashore along the Konak Square.

In medieval times, it was called Street of the Mevlevis, in reference to the presence of a "dergah" (a building designed for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood).

After the 1922 Great Fire of Smyrna and thereafter, of hundreds of "hans" that Kemeraltı counted at the beginning of the 20th century (and clearly visible on a 1905 map drawn by French cartographers on behalf of international insurance companies), only a dozen remained, in full or in part: most were destroyed.

The governor's mansion still stands, although the Yellow Barracks was demolished in 1955 under instructions from the then Prime Minister Adnan Menderes, who wanted to see Konak Square re-shaped, to the ongoing regret of many İzmirians who had come to adopt the oversize building as one of the main landmarks of their city.

Though the loss of shoe manufacturing in the 1990s left a void in the business well into the 2000s, eventually the commercial activities in Kemeraltı recuperated with the growth of Izmir's population throughout the 2010s.

The fund states: Hidden behind walls and gardens, along the alleyways of the colorful historic bazaar, the Central Izmir Synagogues are an unparalleled testament to the city’s rich Jewish heritage.

The oldest district in Izmir, Kemeralti dates back to Roman times and is home to the densest concentration of Jewish landmarks in all of Turkey.

The World Monuments Fund notes that Izmir synagogues often feature a “triple arrangement” of the Torah ark, "which creates a unique harmonious ambience."

[3] The Izmir Project notes that this style features central stage upon which the ark for the Torah rests across the holy chest at the eastern wall.