From Greek Orthodox Village to Turkish Hearth

The settlers who founded this community are believed to have fled Ephesus itself when the ancient city was abandoned around the 15th century. For centuries they lived as a closed, prosperous Greek Orthodox farming village growing figs, olives, tobacco and grapes. By the 19th century, the village numbered over 1,000 households, and its wealth built the stone houses, the churches and the school that still define its streets.↗↗↗

Everything changed with the 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey. The Greek families left for Greece — many of their descendants settling at Nea Efesos near Thessaloniki — and Turkish families from northern Greece and Kavala arrived to take their places. The newcomers brought their own winemaking traditions, which partly explains why Şirince is known for wine today. The village fell into semi-dereliction for decades until the road was paved in 1983, travelers discovered it in the 1990s, and restorers began saving the old houses. Linguist Sevan Nişanyan and his wife Müjde Tönbekici were instrumental in having the village declared a national heritage site.↗↗↗

What to See and Do

**Walk the lanes.** The whole village is an experience in itself. Whitewashed upper floors, stone ground floors, timber frames, dark wooden shutters and red-tiled roofs climb the hillside in neat tiers. Many houses have been restored as small hotels and cafés, but people still live and work in them — you'll see peppers drying on balconies and the occasional tractor squeezing up a lane. The center is car-free; you arrive at the edge and walk up the stone paths. Allow at least two hours.↗↗↗

**Taste the fruit wines.** This is Şirince's signature. Tiny family producers press wine from mulberry, pomegranate, peach, apricot, blackberry, melon, strawberry, cherry and more — most are sweet and fruity, closer to a dessert wine than a dry vintage. Almost every shop along the main lane offers free tastings with no pressure. Quality varies widely, so taste before you buy. A bottle of black mulberry or pomegranate wine riding home in your bag is the classic Şirince souvenir.↗↗↗

**Visit the Church of St. John the Baptist.** Completed in 1805, this was the most important church in the village and still stands at the highest point, looking out over the rooftops. Inside, faded frescoes of Christ and saints survive in the niches flanking the apse. In the courtyard, a wishing well topped with a statue of the Virgin Mary invites coins. Entry is free.↗↗↗

**Climb to the Church of St. Demetrios.** Higher up the hill, this smaller and quieter church has a beautifully restored wooden iconostasis — its carved and painted screen brought back to vivid blues, reds and golds based on traces of original color. The porch offers a stunning panorama over olive groves and forested hills. Before 1923, villagers set out from here every August 15 on a five-hour pilgrimage to the House of the Virgin Mary. Entry is free.↗↗↗

**Drink coffee the old way.** Several cafés along the lanes brew Turkish coffee by pushing copper cezves into trays of hot sand, which heats them evenly from all sides. The result comes in a small cup with a glass of water and a piece of Turkish delight. Fındık Café at the south end of the main road specializes in this tradition.↗↗

**Browse the market.** The lanes below the churches are lined with stalls selling what the village actually grows and makes: olives and olive oil, handmade soap, honey, pekmez (grape or mulberry molasses), pomegranate sauce, jams, dried fruit, herbs and handwoven lace. Carry cash in lira — small shops and cafés often prefer it.↗↗

The 2012 Apocalypse

Şirince made international news in December 2012 when New Age believers claimed the Mayan calendar's predicted "end of the world" would spare the village thanks to its positive energy field. Tens of thousands were expected; journalists, tourists and even Tom Cruise (rumored) descended on the hill. The world carried on, and so did the wine.↗↗↗

Getting There and Practical Advice

From Selçuk (the town at the Ephesus entrance), dolmuş minibuses marked Selçuk–Şirince leave from the bus station roughly every 20 minutes in summer and every 30 minutes in winter, with a journey of 15 to 20 minutes up a winding road through olive groves and orchards. Pay the driver in cash. From the Kuşadası cruise port, there's no direct bus — you change at Selçuk, which makes it about an hour by public transport, or 35 minutes by private transfer. A car park at the village edge charges a small fee.↗↗↗

There is no entrance fee — Şirince is a living village open to all. The village notices that it gets noticeably cooler than the coast in summer thanks to its hillside position.↗↗

Where to Eat

Gözleme — a thin folded flatbread rolled out and cooked on a griddle in front of you — is the classic snack. Many restaurants serve Aegean village cooking: chicory (radika), sautéed wild greens, stuffed zucchini flowers, stuffed grape leaves, and whatever is fresh from the gardens. Several terrace restaurants on the edge of the village have views over the valley. Turkish families drive up on weekends for long village breakfasts. The Panorama Restaurant, in a historic home on the upper west side, has a balcony with views that are hard to beat.↗↗↗