Şirince is a small village of 600-700 inhabitants located 8 km east of the town Selçuk. The first settlements in the city started in 15th century when Ephesus was abandoned after the harbor silted up.
Today most of the buildings in the city date from the 19th century. There are two churches in the village.
The village was settled by freed Greek slaves who named the village Çirkince (meaning “Ugly” in Turkish) to deter the others from following them to this beautiful place. In 1926 the village’s name was changed to Şirince (meaning “Pleasant”) by the governor of Izmir Province.
Şirince village is famous for it’s wine production. You can see many wine houses in the village, where you can taste various grape and fruit wines.
Olive, apples, walnuts and cherries are also grown in the village. In the 19th century Şirince was exporting figs.
Greek writer Dido Soteriou in his book, “Farewell Anatolia“ describes Şirince as follows: “If there is a paradise on earth, then Şirince is surely part of it.”