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Sirince |
After visiting Ephesus
in southwestern Turkey, do not miss the opportunity to visit the
beautiful mountain village of Sirince. From the town of Selcuk
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.
Sirince 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 Selcuk 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 Sirince, 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 Sirince. 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 Sirince 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.
Some writers refer
to Sirince as Ephesus in the Mountains, asserting that Sirince
- formerly Kirkinca - 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 Kirkinca was later changed to Çirkince
(the Ugly Place) so as to prevent others discovering this beautiful
spot and moving here
When the Turkish
Aydinogullari Principality took Selcuk in 1348, some of the town’s
Byzantine inhabitants fled and settled in Sirince. In the 19th
century Sirince is recorded as consisting of 1800 households,
all Greek. In the wake of the First World War the Greeks of Sirince
migrated to Greece, leaving Sirince empty until 1924, when Turks
from Salonika, Kavala, Provusta and other Greek towns arrived
as part of the population exchange between the two countries.
When governor of
Izmir Kâzim Dirik visited the village he was so charmed
with Kirkinca that he altered the name to Sirince (Charming Place).
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 Sirince is renowned. Tobacco, olives, and peaches are
also grown in the area, and tourism is becoming another important
part of the local economy.
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. Sirince 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.
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 Sirince a
base for exploring the region. Sirince 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
Sirince 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. ‘Sirince
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.
The two churches in Sirince 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.
