Kestanepazarı Mosque

The Kestanepazarı Mosque is a mid-sized Ottoman mosque in the heart of the Kemeraltı bazaar, notable for its fine proportions and unusually intact decorative tilework. It sits in a small square that was once the chestnut market of Ottoman Smyrna, and the surrounding streets retain something of the character of a traditional bazaar neighbourhood.

The mosque is active and open to visitors outside of prayer times. The interior is quieter and more meditative than the more famous Hisar Mosque nearby, partly because it is slightly less well-known to tourists.

things to do sight kemeralti
A story
The Kestanepazarı Mosque takes its name from the chestnut market (kestane pazarı) that operated in the square outside it for centuries. Chestnuts were a staple food for the poorer inhabitants of Ottoman Smyrna, roasted and sold on street corners throughout the city, and the market was one of the most important in the Kemeraltı district. The trade in chestnuts has long since moved elsewhere, but the mosque and the square retain the name.

Other places in Kemeraltı