Kemeraltı
Kemeraltı (more fully, Kemeraltı Çarşısı) is a historical market (bazaar) district of İzmir, Turkey. It remains one of the liveliest districts of İzmir. Location 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. It is bounded by the streets Fevzipaşa Boulevard on the northeast, Eşrefpaşa Street on the southwest, and Halil Rıfat Bashaw Street on the southeast, surrounded by ridges of Kadifekale. History The bazaar formed originally around a long street. 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). During the 17th Century, this street was filled in, which allowed the bazaar to extend. Today, the street, now called Anafartalar Caddesi ("Anafartalar Street"), winds to complete the circle of the shallow inner bay in a wide curve. 16th century A milestone in the bazaar's development was the building in 1592 of the Hisar Mosque ("Fortress Mosque"). This is the oldest, most significant Ottoman landmark in İzmir (although built by Aydınoğlu Yakup Bey, descendant of the dynasty that had founded the Beylik,