Asansör (Elevator)

Asansör (Turkish for "elevator") is a building in Izmir's Karataş quarter, within the boundaries of the metropolitan district of Konak. It was built in 1907 as a work of public service by a wealthy Jewish banker and trader of that period, Nesim Levi Bayraklioglu, in order to ease passage from the narrow coastline of Karataş to the hillside, the elevator within the building serving to carry people and goods through the steep cliff between the two parts of the quarter.

In time, the small street that led to the building also came to be known under the same name, Asansör Street (Asansör Sokagi). In the 1940s, one of the residents of the street was the singer Dario Moreno, who was to attain fame later.

It was recently restored and since then, became one of the landmarks of Izmir. The street was renamed Dario Moreno Street in memory of the singer.

Photographer: Ferase
Taken on 23 May 2009