The Great Clock Tower

Büyük Saat (English: The Great Clock Tower) is a historical clock tower in Adana and the tallest clock tower in Turkey, rising 32 m (105 ft) high. It is located in the old town on Ali Münif Caddesi.

The construction of Büyük Saat was started in 1879 by the governor Ziya Pasha and it was completed by the succeeding governor Abidin Pasha in 1882, as a symbol of modernization. The two Armenian architects, Krikor Agha Bzdikian and Kasbar Agha Bzdikian, were responsible for its design. Mayor Hacı Yunus also had a significant contribution to the construction. Since then, it stands as one of the major landmarks of the city.

Büyük Saat was damaged during French occupation and had renovated in 1935.

Büyük Saat was constructed as a square prism and tower walls were built by bricks.^[2] The tower has a height of 32 m (105 ft), but the depth of the foundation is thought to be even longer. Foundation is said to be 35 m (115 ft) deep. There were rumors that the water that springs from the foundation was very healing.

During the period of its construction, there were also clock towers built in the other large cities of the Ottoman Empire. Büyük Saat was the highest among them, second highest being theDolmabahçe Clock Tower in İstanbul.

The construction made the residents' life easier. Every hour, the loud bell of the tower would ring, which could be heard from most sections of the city. After the construction of the tower, the city officials arranged their office hours by Büyük Saat. Islamic praying times were also set by Büyük Saat which used to be done by the position of the sun before.

Major issue with Büyük Saat today is the lack of pedestrian areas at its base. The tower is in the middle of a busy street which makes visitor access difficult. The Greater Municipality have plans to widen sidewalks at Ali Münif Caddesi and re-route some of the local transit to another street.

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