This pretty old
Orthodox village, 12 km away from Ephesus and 30 km from
Kusadasi, was once Cirkince ("ugly"). Indeed its habitants
gave this name on purpose as they did not want to be
bothered by foreigners nor to share the beauty of their
village. Still after years, visitors understood that the
village was not ugly at all and called it Sirince ("pretty").
As the village is located on the top of a mountain, anyone
will enjoy the impressive wine yards' and peach trees' views
on his way. Today the village is a perfect synthesis of Turk-Greek
culture as of the 1920's: after the Independence War, people
exchange between Greek and Turks has occurred and all those
typical Greek houses, though they kept their original
outside characteristics, have received the local layout
inside. The most beautiful specimens are open to visitors.
And even in the courtyard of one of them, one will discover
a nicely restorated Orthodox church. All the narrow streets
of the village belong to the women, selling handcrafts of
all kinds, olive oil. Another attraction of Sirince is its
wine: try its taste in small cafés or in the former
municipal school restorated. Though Sirince is developing
its tourism very quickly, it has been able to preserve its
authenticity and the meaning of its name. How to Go?...
Sirince is about 30km away from Kusadasi. Selcuk minibuses
departure from the minibus station inside Kusadasi, in every
30 minutes. After reaching to Selcuk, you may take a minibus
to Sirince. Also, you may directly go with a reasonable
packet tour provided by any of the agencies in Kusadasi,
alternatively..
