Havra Street

Izmir's Havra Street is famous enough to be the subject of films and books. Havra Street, which is interesting with its unique atmosphere, offers an important advantage in terms of visiting the Konak district. However, the number of people living in Izmir who are unaware of this particular region is not small. Havra Street is located in the District of Namazgah. The street, which is very close to the cemetery, is probably referred by this name because of its synagogues. The characteristic common features of the synagogues in the region attract attention immediately. There are four separate columns in the hall parts of the structures built in the central system. These are also used as reading spaces. Synagogues such as Signora, Shalom, Algazi, Bikur Holim, Etz Hayim, Hevra, Bet Hillel are located in the Havra Street located at Konak 927 Street. Many details about this historical street are shared in the academic Selin Süar's research book “Havra Sokak”. A significant majority of the synagogues here were built in the 15th and 16th centuries. Some of these are still open to worship and visit. It is known that the fire of Izmir was extinguished in front of the synagogue named Shalom in Havra Street. This is considered as an important chance for the preservation of the religious sites here. The most important reason for the existence of a busy place such as Havra Street is that Izmir has been home to Jews for many years. Jews are mainly stationed in the vicinity of Ikiceşmelik or Agora. Jews are seen opening new synagogues in every district where they are dispersed. Especially after the 19th century, the number of Jews in Izmir reaches serious levels. They are scattered in many regions from Frenk district to Karantina, Ikiçeşmelik to Karataş. However, the area around Havra Street is always the oldest area in which they settled, which leads to the accumulation of special memories.