Kemeraltı — "under the arches" — is İzmir's historic bazaar district, a labyrinth of covered streets, hans (Ottoman caravanserais), mosques, synagogues, and workshops that has been the commercial heart of the city for four centuries. It is not a tourist reconstruction but a living market where İzmiris shop for everything from spices and saffron to leather goods, jewellery, and electrical components.
The district spreads east of Konak Square, its streets narrowing as you move deeper into it. The Hisar Mosque marks the centre; the Kızlaragası Han is the most impressive surviving Ottoman commercial building; and Havra Street preserves the Jewish heritage in nine synagogues. Getting slightly lost here is part of the experience — the district is dense but not large, and you will always find your way back to the Clock Tower eventually.