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Part
of Paradise
Şirince
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After
visiting Ephesus in southwestern Turkey, do not miss the opportunity
to visit the beautiful mountain village of Şirince. From the town of
Selçuk where Ephesus is situated, a winding road takes you through
green countryside to this corner of paradise just eight kilometres
away. Surrounded by forest clad hills, the village lies on the south
and west slopes of a valley.
Şirince
overlooks the Ephesus plain, whose olive groves, orchards,
vineyards, and fields of tobacco and cotton stretch to the sea.
After 15 or 20 minutes the road from Selçuk rises over a hill and
winds down the other side into the village square. Our first
objective in coming here was of course to eat! So before looking
around Şirince, we headed straight for Artemis Wine House and
Restaurant on the hill on the edge of the village. The restaurant is
housed in a re-stored building that was formerly the village school
and serves homemade wines and delicious food made from local
produce. The wonderful views over the village and plain lend their
own savour to the
food. |
| Hunger
satisfied, it was time to explore Şirince. The main street and
square are shaded by great plane trees and lined by shops, coffee
houses and restaurants. We sat for a while in the coffee house in
the square drinking tea and chatting to the village muhtar (elder)
Ali Vurmazdere. He is delighted that Şirince is becoming so popular
with visitors, and hopes that tourism will reverse the fortunes of
the village. Local inhabitants have been moving away in large
numbers in recent years, both for economic reasons and because of
problems like their childrn’sc education. The population has fallen
from 840 in 1980 to 704 today. |
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Some writers refer to Şirince as Ephesus in the Mountains,
asserting that Şirince - formerly Kırkınca - was established in the
fifth century after alluvion carried down by the Küçük Menderes
River and flooding made the ancient site unfit for habitation.
Hearsay relates that the name Kırkınca was later changed to Çirkince
(the Ugly Place) so as to prevent others discovering this beautiful
spot and moving here. |
| When
the Turkish Aydınoğulları Principality took Selçuk in 1348, some of
the town’s Byzantine inhabitants fled and settled in Şirince. In the
19th century Şirince is recorded as consisting of 1800 households,
all Greek. In the wake of the First World War the Greeks of Şirince
migrated to Greece, leaving Şirince empty until 1924, when Turks
from Salonika, Kavala, Provusta and other Greek towns arrived as
part of the population exchange between the two countries.
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When
governor of İzmir Kâzım Dirik visited the village he was so charmed with
Kırkınca that he altered the name to Şirince
(Charming
Place).
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Ali
Vurmazdere took us around the village. The narrow stone streets are
full of picturesque shops selling lace and other handicrafts made by
local women. There are also stalls selling homemade soap and the
local wines for which Şirince is renowned. Tobacco, olives, and
peaches are also grown in the area, and tourism is becoming another
important part of the local
economy. |
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As
we climbed up through the village, which rises on the slopes on
either side of the river, we were fascinated by the old houses along
the narrow streets. Şirince is one of the few places in Turkey to
have preserved its 19th century texture intact. The ground and first
floors are built of rubble stone and the second floors of lathe and
plaster. The upper floors, which oversail the lower, contain the
living spaces, while the ground floors consist of store rooms and
stables. |
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The
window frames and eaves are decorated with flower, bird and leaf
motifs. Handmade lace curtains hang at the windows. Oleanders and
other colourful flowers and shrubs grow luxuriantly in the gardens
on either side of the lanes.
Some
of the houses have been restored and turned into pensions for
over-night guests, so it is now possible to make Şirince a base for
exploring the region. Şirince is within easy reach not only of
Ephesus but other ancient cities like Priene, Miletus and
Didyma.
We
talked to Ahmet Koçak, the owner of Hotel Şirince Houses and a
former tour guide. He fell in love with the village at first sight
and resolved to settle here. He restored two of the old houses and
turned them into a hotel. |
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‘Şirince
is a place where visitors who want to get away from the beaten
tourist track can enjoy the authentic village atmosphere, waking to
the call of the cockerels, and participating in traditional harvest
festivities in the vineyards and olive groves,’ he
explained.
Several
local people have set up small restaurants in their gardens, some
specialising in gözleme, a griddle bread with various fillings. It
is unthinkable to leave Şirince without tasting this simple but
delicious dish. You can watch the dough being rolled out, being
filled with cheese, auber-gines, mushrooms or minced meat, and then
cooked on the griddle over a wood fire. Accom-panied by a drink of
cold ayran (yogurt beaten with water) it makes a wonderful
meal. |
The
two churches in Şirince are now being restored. The Church of St John the
Baptist was built in 1832 and is being restored by an American foundation
under the auspices of Ephesus Museum. The second smaller church is also
thought to date from the early 19th century.
When
the time came to leave Şirince we remembered the words of the Greek writer
Dido Sotiriyo in his book, ‘Greetings to Anatolia’: ‘If there is a
paradise on earth, then our Şirince is surely part of it.’
*
Yusuf Tuvi is a
photographer |