The clocktower of Izmit. Build in 1901, in a neoclassical European oriented style. Having been an inseparable part of the history of İzmit all along the 20th century, it has become the symbol of the city.
It has four floors with dimensions 3.65 × 3.65 m. The ground floor houses fountains, while the clock is on the top floor. All four facades of the middle floors are decorated with the seal of Sultan Abdülhamid II. The pointed cone on top is coated with lead.
This is one of many clock towers that were built throughout the Ottoman Empire as a result of the decree which was sent to the provincial governors to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sultan Abdülhamid II's ascension to the Ottoman throne.
Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Source: (among others) ‘Türkye Tarihi Yerler Kılavuzu’ – M.Orhan Bayrak, Inkılâp Kitabevi, Istanbul, 1994.