Historical Elevator (Asansör)

Address Dario Moreno Sokağı, Karataş, İzmir

The Historical Elevator — Asansör in Turkish — is a 51-metre-tall lift tower that has connected İzmir's lower streets to the hillside Karataş neighbourhood since 1907. The original wooden structure was replaced by the current steel tower in 1974, but the function is unchanged. A small fee gets you to the top, where the Asansör Restaurant and café occupies a terrace with exceptional views over the city and the Gulf of İzmir.

The elevator is one of İzmir's most endearing landmarks, a piece of practical urban infrastructure that has become a tourist attraction. The Karataş neighbourhood around it, with its old houses and the renovated Jewish quarter, is worth exploring on foot. This is one of the best viewpoints in the city, especially at sunset.

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A story
The Asansör was built in 1907 by a Jewish merchant named Nesim Levi Bayraklıoğlu as a public service for the residents of the Karataş hillside neighbourhood. Before its construction, residents had to climb hundreds of steps to reach their homes from the lower streets. Bayraklıoğlu financed the elevator himself and ran it as a charitable service, charging a small fee only to cover maintenance. The street leading to it is now named Dario Moreno Sokağı after the Turkish-Jewish singer Dario Moreno, born in İzmir, who became famous in France in the 1950s.

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