A-Z Guidebook: Izmir Konak Square

If you�re a regular reader, you�re probably wondering how I ventured back to a Turkish post.

Well, I�ve decided to join a monthly travel guide link up organized by Fiona, a fellow travel blogger, based in Brisbane, Australia, Tiffin Bite Sized FoodAdventures. Each month features a new letter of the alphabet. This month is the letter �I.� I know I�m joining in a bit late so I won�t cover letters A-H, but I thought this link up would push me to publish a few more of my thousands of travel photos. The trick is to only chose ONE photo per post.

It would be easy to write about Istanbul as I�ve done so often on the blog. However, I thought I�d feature a different Turkish city � Izmir, the country�s third largest city.

I is for Izmir, Turkey

During the three years we lived in Turkey, I visited this Aegean coastal city on three separate occasions. My Izmir trips coincided with visits to �esme, Kusadasiand then lastly the Greek island of nearby Samos. As I looked back through my photos, I realize we hardly gave Izmir a chance. I should have spent more time wandering the city�s cobblestone streets or along the seafront.

At least, we spent some time in one of the city�s main highlights � the Konak Square (Konak Meydani). This busy square is located at the southern end of Atat�rk Avenue and is named after the Governor�s Mansion or Vali Konagi. The singular word konak means mansion in Turkish.

In the middle of this square is the ornate Izmir Saat Kulesi, a historic clock tower designed by a Levantine French architect and built in 1901 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sultan SultanAbd�lhamid II's accession to the throne. Interestingly, the clock was a gift from German Emperor Wilhem II who also has a fountain in Sultanahmet�s Square named after him.

Izmir itself is a lovely city and definitely deserves its own time for a longer visit. Pop on over to my blogger friends at Turkey�s for Life to read about their numerous tips for visiting Izmir.

Join me in March for the letter "J"!