Şirince
Şirince features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Ephesus. Give it roughly ~60 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type village
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- Ephesus Ephesus guide
About Şirince
A steep hillside village east of Selçuk, its old Greek stone houses, two churches and home-made fruit wines surviving the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey.
Şirince is a hillside village about eight kilometres east of Selçuk, set in the hills above Ephesus. Until the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey, it was inhabited by Greek Orthodox Christians, with records for 1908-09 noting more than a thousand houses. Under the exchange the Greek families left for Greece and Muslims from Greece were settled in their place. The village keeps its old stone-and-stucco Greek houses climbing the steep slopes, along with two old churches, St John the Baptist and St Demetrius.
The older name was Kırkınca, or Çirkince in Turkish; by local lore a name meaning roughly "ugly" was chosen to keep outsiders away, though other accounts trace it differently. In 1926 the governor of İzmir changed it to Şirince, meaning "pleasant" or "pretty." The village is well known for its home-made fruit wines, pressed from grapes and from fruits such as peach, apple, cherry and blackberry. The Nesin Mathematics Village, an open-air school, sits just outside.
Did you know? Until the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey, Şirince was a Greek Orthodox village; the Greek families then left for Greece, and Muslims arriving from Greece were settled in their houses.
How long is a visit to Şirince?
Set aside roughly ~60 min for Şirince. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Şirince worth your time?
Şirince is among the 18 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Ephesus, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Ephesus
Day 2 of the Ephesus in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Şirince
Preview the Ephesus tour free in the Gingerguide app.