Cordelio (Karşıyaka)

History ;

Bayraklı, the old İzmir’s settlement is in the border of Karsıyaka. It is a source of praise and an investment area for Karsıyaka. Ancient İzmir is the centre of the Ion culture and the focal point of the history of the Aegean. The teacher of the poets was born and the greatest epic was written here. Homeros and İliada-Odeysseia were written here and enlightened the ages. There is Karsiyaka in the basis of the modern civilization, culture and history. Karsiyaka is an entertainment and a resting place which the old call Cordelio. Karsiyaka is situated between the foothills of the Yamanlar Mountain and the sea. It is appraised that with its cafes, restaurants, pubs and beachbaths, Karsiyaka is equal to one thousand European cities and with the Soğukkuyu part, it is equal to one thousand Turkish cities.

Karşıyaka’s old name was Cordelio or Cordelieu. The name Cordelio comes from Richard Coeur de Lion. Coeur de Lion’s last ‘n’ had disappeared in the centuries and became Cordelio. In the 1190’s Coeur de Lion took part in the 3rd Crusader War and fought against Selahattin Eyyubi although it is not known whether he came to izmir or not. A group of some Christian Knights who were going to Jerusalem on the main road came a wooded beach belt across İzmir and set up a barrack. They gave the name of the Europe’s most glorious hero here.

Since the very ancient times, Turks have called the opposite coast of İzmir as ‘Karşıyaka’. In 1081, in Çaka Bey's time and Aydınoğlu Uğur Bey the name 'karşı sahil' and 'karşı yaka' were used by the soldiers who fought in İzmir Wars. The most important speciality of Karşıyaka is that, it has Yamanlar forests which go through the coast of İzmir and green gardens as an entertaining place. The travellers who passed through this region untill eighteenth century couldn’t help telling people about this heavenly green place named Cardelio and the coast. In the eighteenth century, Karşıyaka was known as a village famous especially for its olive graves.

The railway which was built in 1865 made Karşıyaka develop faster and faster. According to the Aydın Vilayet Yearbook, there were 832 houses and population of 1080 people. That the Hamidiye Ferry Company started transportation to the wooden dock in Karşıyaka made the development faster. At those times, two settlements developed and widened equally. On the coastline, the levantires and merchants from foreign countries who bought large lands here settled here and began to build mansions and villas.

İzmir Division Commander Giritli Ferit Hüseyin Paşa made Soğukkuyu neighbourhood ready for construction for Turks. So, the Turks who used to live in Alurca- Sıralıköy territories of Yamanlar widely started moving to Soğukkuyu. The first mayor of Karşıyaka Çömezzade Hacı Mehmet Efendi built Soğukkuyu Mosque in 1874 and served Karşıyaka much. İzmir Division Commander Giritli Ferit Hoca Osman Paşa built the second mosque on the street of tramway to the çarşı. In those years, the houses on the coast which were the properties of the laventines were used as summer resorts on Sundays, and the cordon would be so crowded and merry. Bostanlı as called Papa Scala or Papa Village used to be a pier which the melons of Menemen was unloaded and landed into the ships. That’s why the Turks call the place Bostanlı.

As an independent municipality, Karşıyaka Municipality was established and after that date the first mayor was Nevzat Çobanoğlu. After him, Cihan Türsen, Kemal Baysak and Şebnem Tabak became mayors. Present mayor of Karşıyaka is Cevat Durak.

Karşıyaka today

Geographical location: Karşıyaka is situated in the North of İzmir Bay in a 84-kilometer area. It is surrounded by Bornova in the east, Çiğli in the west, and Menemen in the North, including southern slopes of Yamanlar mountain range. The distance above sea level varies between 1-700 meters. Districts, such as Bostanlı, Alaybey, and Nergis are situated in the plain, as for Bayraklı, Gümüşpala, and Yamanlar, they are situated in the sloping areas. Karşıyaka was occupied by the Greek in May 15, 1919. In September 9,1922 this occupation ended by 14th Cavalry Division at Colonel Suphi Kula’s command. In the county there are 2 villages and 41 districts. The central population is 432.074. It reaches 432.457 including villages.99,9 % of the population lives in the centre of Karşıyaka. 0.1 % of the population lives in the villages. It is the second big county after Konak with respect to population.

Tourism:As it is an ancient settlement, Karşıyaka has also a potential in tourism sector. 3000 year-old Tepekule (Smyrna ) and Tantalos tomb are the most important historical ruins. And Atatürk’s mother Zübeyde Hanım’s grave is another important feature in Karşıyaka.