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Ephesus & Şirince

About Şirince

A beautifully restored Greek village provides the perfect base from which to explore the site of Ephesus nearby, together with a variety of others slightly further afield such as the World Heritage Site of Pamukkale and the Carian site of Aphrodisias.

Intro b

 

Şirince (pronounced she-RIN-jay) is a wonderful little Aegean village of 600 inhabitants. It is located in the hills at about 350 meters (1000 ft) above sea level, which means pleasant nights in the heat of the summer, and in winter some frost and the occasional snowfall.

Most of the houses in the village date from the 19th century or earlier. They were built at a time - prior to population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1923 - when Şirince was predominantly a Greek village.

The village lies in a lovely bowl of hills surrounded by peach orchards, vineyards and olive groves. The higher hills are covered with pine forest. Nearly all houses command a pastoral panorama extending over many miles, undisturbed by any modern development. The surroundings are full of idyllic country walks.

Farming remains the principal activity. Villagers make wine and olive oil, and grow some of the best peaches in the country. They greet strangers with a smile and very often invite them in for a cup of tea.

The archeological site of Ephesus is located in the plain 11 km away. A public minibus serves Selçuk - the modern town of Ephesus - every half hour throughout the day. The nearest beach is 15 km (10 miles) distant and a plethora of other cultural sites are easily accessible such as: Miletus, Didyma, Pergamum, Sardes, Aphrodisias, Priene and Pamukkale.

 

This is a landscape that belongs to the gods, even though it gave way over time to Greek and Roman mortalsView what the papers say »