Alsancak is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of
Konak,
İzmir Province
İzmir Province () is a province and metropolitan municipality of Turkey in western Anatolia, situated along the Aegean coast. Its capital is the city of İzmir, which is in itself composed of the province's central 11 districts out of 30 in to ...
,
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. Its population is 5,581 (2022). It is part of the historic center of the city of
İzmir
İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...
.
Overview

As a notional zone, Alsancak extends from along the tip of the southern shores of the
Gulf of İzmir
The Gulf of İzmir (), formerly known as the Gulf of Smyrna, is a gulf on the Aegean Sea, with its inlet between the Karaburun Peninsula and the mainland area of Foça. It is in length by in breadth, with an excellent anchorage. The city of İz ...
, starting near İzmir's historic square that carries the same name as the district (
Konak Square
Konak Square () is a busy square at the southern end of Atatürk Avenue in the Konak district of İzmir, Turkey. The square is named after the '' Vali Konağı'' (Governor's Mansion) of İzmir Province, which is located here ('' konak'' means ' ...
) with the 19th century-built Pasaport Quay marking the point, and extending along a 3200-meter-long seaside street and
promenade
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortification, fortress or city walls ...
called "Kordon" (
esplanade
An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide cle ...
, or more specifically as Birinci Kordon, ) and to join the neighboring metropolitan district of
Bornova
Bornova is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 220 km2, and its population is 454,470 (2022). It is the third largest district in İzmir's metropolitan area and is almost fully urbanized at ...
, located eastwards and at the very end of the Gulf's waters.
Within this larger notional zone of Alsancak, aside from the officially instituted and delimited quarter (''mahalle'') of Alsancak proper, the five neighbouring quarters of Umurbey, Kültür, Mimar Sinan, İsmet Kaptan and Akdeniz are found along the shore, and the whole is generally referred to as being part of the same complex.
In
Ottoman times, the area was named "La Punta" (an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
word meaning "the cape";
the name cited as ''La Pointe'' in
French sources or in sources that borrow from them) and was the part of the city where the upper middle class was concentrated.
Physical aspects

Two large streets parallel to the coastline, named the First Kordon and the Second Kordon (), constitute the main arterial roads of the quarter. A level area situated in an alluvial plain, with well-designed streets, modern apartment blocks and stores, the city's trendiest and the most expensive and exclusive residences and commercial space are found here, as well as the busiest office buildings, including consulates.
Two major hotels in partnership with international brand names of the industry,
Swissôtel
Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts, commonly known as Swissôtel, is a Swiss chain of luxury hotels owned by Accor, which acquired FRHI Hotels & Resorts in 2015.
The corporate offices for Swissôtel are located in the Prioria Business Centre on the pro ...
and
Hilton, are located towards the Konak end of the area, just behind the Square of the Republic () distinguishable by the wide space with which it marks a point along the length of the esplanade and an equestrian statue of
Atatürk, to whose honor a museum in the premises of a former mansion is also present towards the eastern end of Alsancak.
The Atatürk Museum building, which is a survivor of the transformation in recent decades of coastline residences from terraced double-storey houses to apartment blocks, also offers visitors a chance to have a glimpse of how the lives of the wealthy in 19th century İzmir was like.
Many restaurants, bars, cafes, discothèques and other entertainment venues are concentrated in Alsancak, increasingly within the intact rows of older and more traditional one- or two-storied buildings found in the inner smaller streets and are often restored specifically for the purpose of the intended commercial activity.
Kültürpark, the distinct location of the
İzmir International Fair
The İzmir International Fair () is the oldest tradeshow in Turkey, considered the cradle of Turkey's fairs and expositions industry, and is also notable for hosting a series of simultaneous festival activities. The fair and the festival are held ...
, is also englobed by the area of the quarter of Alsancak in both administrative and practical terms.
The newest and most attended
synagogue
A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
of İzmir, "Shar Hashamayim" is also in Alsancak where increasing numbers of the city's remaining
Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
opt to live, moving in from their traditional neighborhood of
Karataş
Karataş (Turkish language, Turkish for ''black stone'') is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Adana Province, Turkey. Its area is 862 km2, and its population is 23,499 (2022). The town itself has 10,293 inhabitants. It is o ...
.
The Port of İzmir,
İzmir Alsancak Stadium
The Alsancak Mustafa Denizli Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in İzmir, Turkey used mostly for football (soccer), football matches. The stadium has a capacity of 15,000 and was built in 1929. In 1959 it hosted Turkey's first-ever premiere le ...
and
Alsancak Railway Station are also located in Alsancak.
Alsancak Railway Station and Quay
The Alsancak Railway Station (Turkish: Alsancak Tren Garı) is the oldest railway station in Turkey, built by the "Oriental Railway Company" (ORC) incorporated in 1856, to build a railway line from İzmir to
Aydın
Aydın ( ''EYE-din''; ; formerly named ''Güzelhisar; Greek: Τράλλεις)'' is a city in and the seat of Aydın Province in Turkey's Aegean Region. The city is located at the heart of the lower valley of Büyük Menderes River (ancient ...
. The main building of the station was completed in 1858 and the line to Aydin was opened in 1866. In 2001 the station was expanded from 4 tracks and 2 platforms, to 10 tracks and 6 platforms. In 2006 the station was closed to passenger traffic due to the İzmir Metro expansion project. The station keeps on handling freight traffic and is connected to the harbor which has an entry just across the street.
One of the quays of İzmir's urban ferry services is also located in Alsancak, called under the same name, as Alsancak Quay . Ferries here crisscross between Konak and Pasaport further to the west and the busy residential and shopping area of
Karşıyaka
Karşıyaka () is a municipality and district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 51 km2, and its population is 346,264 (2022). The district extends for twelve kilometres along the northern and eastern coastline of the tip of the Gulf of ...
at the opposite coast.
See also
*
Alsancak Hocazade Mosque
*
Kemeraltı
Footnotes
{{Konak District
Neighbourhoods in Konak District