HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Seferihisar is a coastal district and the center town of the same district in İzmir Province, in
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
. Seferihisar district area borders on other
İzmir İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...
districts of Urla to the west and Menderes ( Cumaovası) to the east, and touches İzmir's westernmost metropolitan district of
Güzelbahçe Güzelbahçe is a coastal district of İzmir Province in Turkey. Until 2009 Local Government Elections, Greater İzmir Municipality had 9 district (second-tier) municipalities and Güzelbahçe was one of the smallest district municipality in terms ...
in the north. Seferihisar town center is situated slightly inland at an altitude of 28 m and the urban area extends towards the sea as composed of eight quarters, with some distance among some, and one of which, the neighborhood called
Sığacık Sığacık is a seaside neighborhood of Seferihisar ilçe (district) of İzmir Province, Turkey. It is at . Its distance to Seferihisar centrum is less than . It is situated on a small peninsula, facing north. The harbor is in the east side of and ...
stands somewhat separately from the rest at a distance of 5 km, and has its own port and made a name as a tourism resort by its own right. The wide area of the district center partly accounts for the high number of the population and an urbanization rate of only 51%, and the general impression observed is rather rural in some of its sections. Both the center town and the district as a whole preserves an overall outlook of a pleasant resort area bearing typical Aegean characteristics and it is estimated the population reaches the level of 150,000 people during the touristic season. Nevertheless, the district's economy is still largely based on agriculture, with the production of
tangerine The tangerine is a type of citrus fruit that is orange in color. Its scientific name varies. It has been treated as a separate species under the name ''Citrus tangerina'' or ''Citrus'' × ''tangerina'', or treated as a variety of '' Citrus reti ...
s and satsumas standing out, and only increasingly on tourism, with the presence of several
housing projects Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, d ...
or vacation villages, pensioners opting to settle in the region due to its quiet charm and under the impetus of a university campus that is in phase of being built. At a distance of from İzmir center, ( Konak), the connections with the metropolis are made easily, especially once reached the six-lane
highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It is used for major roads, but also includes other public roads and public tracks. In some areas of the United States, it is used as an equivalent term to controlled-access ...
in Urla. Seferihisar is where the ancient city of Teos is located and its highly interesting await further research and discoveries. The district's literacy level is 99%.


History

Apart from Teos, a major Ionian port and artistic and cult center, two other ancient settlements datable to the ancient Greek period and beyond are located along Seferihisar district's seashore, both to the south of Teos. Near the southern boundary of the district is
Lebedos Lebedus or Lebedos ( grc, Λέβεδος) was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League, located south of Smyrna, Klazomenai and neighboring Teos and before Ephesus, which is further south. It was on the coast, ninety stadia (16.65 km) ...
, the smallest of the twelve original Ionian settlements along the Anatolian coastline.
Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to: *Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium'' *Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC * Pausanias of Sicily, physician of t ...
mentions that the town was initially inhabited by
Carian The Carian language is an extinct language of the Luwic subgroup of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family. The Carian language was spoken in Caria, a region of western Anatolia between the ancient regions of Lycia and Lydia, ...
s, for whom the region is normally a very northern one, and that Ionian Greeks immigrated there under the guidance of Andræmon, while
Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called " Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could s ...
gives the name the colonizing leader as Andropompus and that it previously bore the name of Artis of ancient
Lydia Lydia ( Lydian: ‎𐤮𐤱𐤠𐤭𐤣𐤠, ''Śfarda''; Aramaic: ''Lydia''; el, Λυδία, ''Lȳdíā''; tr, Lidya) was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern western Turkish pro ...
. Although it is known to have engaged in maritime commerce, was famous for its mineral springs and a member of the
Ionian League The Ionian League ( grc, Ἴωνες, ''Íōnes''; , ''koinón Iōnōn''; or , ''koinē sýnodos Iōnōn''; Latin: ''commune consilium''), also called the Panionic League, was a confederation formed at the end of the Meliac War in the mid-7th ce ...
, the peninsular settlement of Lebedos suffered from the limited space of its hinterland and a comparatively unsuitable port. It has not been excavated and the visible ruins are scanty. The other settlement, at the edge of a promontory between Teos and Lebedos, referred to by
Hecataeus of Miletus Hecataeus of Miletus (; el, Ἑκαταῖος ὁ Μιλήσιος; c. 550 BC – c. 476 BC), son of Hegesander, was an early Greek historian and geographer. Biography Hailing from a very wealthy family, he lived in Miletus, then under ...
(500 BC) as a "city" and by Artemidorus of Ephesus (100 BC) as merely a "place" is Myonnesos. The best definition for ancient times must have corresponded to that of a small town, advantaged by a peninsula with a 60 m cliff which was very difficult to access and easy to defend. Traces of Cyclopeian walls attest to the presence of a very particular site and it remains a visitor's attraction due to the challenges of
rock climbing Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically a ...
it offers. Ottoman records refer to the present-day center town alternatively as "Seferihisar" or "Sivrihisar", sometimes leading to confusion with another town in
Central Anatolia The Central Anatolia Region ( tr, İç Anadolu Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The largest city in the region is Ankara. Other big cities are Konya, Kayseri, Eskişehir, Sivas, and Aksaray. Located in Central Turkey, it is b ...
still named Sivrihisar, and which itself was nevertheless recorded from time to time as "Seferihisar". While the historic
medrese Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...
in the depending village of Hereke (''Düzce'' today) remained a regional center of learning throughout, on many occasions during the Ottoman period, the region of Seferihisar had made itself notorious as a pirate's lair, being a particularly appreciated hideout and at times a practically autonomous entity. The town is notably the birthplace of two of the best known Turkish corsairs of the very end of the 15th century, Kara Hasan and Kara Turmuş The region was, as such, scarcely populated and development came gradually only in the course of the 19th century, due especially to cultivation of citrus fruits and cash crops. The municipal administration was instituted in 1884 and by the time of the fall of the Empire, the
kaza A kaza (, , , plural: , , ; ota, قضا, script=Arab, (; meaning 'borough') * bg, околия (; meaning 'district'); also Кааза * el, υποδιοίκησις () or (, which means 'borough' or 'municipality'); also () * lad, kaza , ...
of Seferihisar counted 10,475 people, in which 2.641, about a quarter were
Greeks The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, ot ...
, mostly recent immigrants from the islands or other areas of Anatolia, while 7.816 were Turks


Settlement and geography

Seferihisar district counts eight depending villages and two larger settlements which have their own municipal administrations ( Doğanbey and
Ürkmez Ürkmez is a small coastal town with own municipality and administratively depending the district center of Seferihisar in İzmir Province, Turkey. It is also a holiday resort, situated at a distance of approximately 50 km from the province cente ...
). The district center of Seferihisar, spreading over eight officially delimited quarters, accounts for roughly half of the total district of population estimated as being slightly over forty thousand (34.761 in the last census of 2000). As such, it is one of the smaller districts of İzmir Province and the inward immigration level is rather low at only 0.18% despite rising interest in recent years by pensioners, those seeking secondary summer residences and university academia. The real estate market thus remains underexploited in striking contrast with the districts of Urla and Çeşme neighboring Seferihisar to the west. Several projected housing projects and the move by Yaşar University to its campus in phase of being built in the town are expected to change the present trend of stagnation. Çakmaktepe is the highest point of the district with 680 m. Two streams, Kocaçay Stream and Hereke Stream cross the district area to join the sea within its boundaries and these generally dry up in summer. Five small dams are built on these streams and their affluents for agricultural irrigation purposes and there are also two artificial lakes built for the same objective. Four small islands depend Seferihisar district and a fifth near Doğanbey locality, connected to the mainland by a small causeway but still called Çıfıtkalesi Islet (''ancient "Myonnesos", still also often called as such locally'') is a prized location for
rock climbers Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically an ...
.


Economy

Since
citrus fruits ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is nativ ...
occupy a considerable share in Seferihisar's agricultural production, the district's economy is relatively outward, including international, oriented, and Seferihisar realized exports nearing 10 million
US Dollars The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
in 2006. Other notable agricultural products include olives and vegetables, with viniculture and production of flowers grown under
greenhouse A greenhouse (also called a glasshouse, or, if with sufficient heating, a hothouse) is a structure with walls and roof made chiefly of transparent material, such as glass, in which plants requiring regulated climatic conditions are grown.These ...
conditions becoming increasingly important in recent years. Tourism's growing importance is attested by the increase to a total bed capacity of 4,539 for the district as a whole in recent years. Only ten of the district's 1381 enterprises are registered as pursuing industrial activities, with nearly a thousand active in small-scale crafts and trades. Nine companies are registered exporters. There are 12 companies with foreign capital operating in Seferihisar district and among these one, corresponding to a capital of about 5 million US Dollars, was constituted in the last decade. There are four banks providing services through four branches in Seferihisar. The total number of residences in Seferihisar district is 12,146, the part occupied by secondary residences owned by seasonal inhabitants starting to correspond to a significant share in this number. The literacy rate nears hundred per cent and the number of students per teacher is quite comfortable at 16. As a basic indicator of health services, there is one doctor for 1,495 patients. The yearly income level per inhabitant was calculated at 2,693 US Dollars in 2007, well below the national and provincial average.


Sights of interest

The district's most popular sights of interest is its depending small port of
Sığacık Sığacık is a seaside neighborhood of Seferihisar ilçe (district) of İzmir Province, Turkey. It is at . Its distance to Seferihisar centrum is less than . It is situated on a small peninsula, facing north. The harbor is in the east side of and ...
with the Genoese -
Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
. In 2008 that small port was redesigned by Turkish architect
Günay Erdem Günay Erdem (born 18 April 1978) is a Turkish Architect (graduated) and self-taught landscape architect. Günay Erdem together with his brother Sunay Erdem leads architectural and urban design practice Erdem Architects which they founded in 199 ...
and Turkish landscape architect
Sunay Erdem Sunay Erdem (born 17 March 1971) is a Turkish landscape architect (by degree) and self-taught architect. He is one of Turkey's most prolific and best Landscape architects of his generation. Sunay Erdem founded Erdem Architects with his brother, ...
. At 2010 construction of this new port ended and revealed its current state as
Teos Marina Teos Marina is a marina with a capacity of 480 boats at sea, 80 boats on land and 30 that can be moored at channel docks in Seferihisar, İzmir, Turkey. Geography The marina is at the western part of Seferihisar. Its altitude is . It is sur ...
. The ancient city of Teos is located between Seferihisar and Sığacık. There is also the rock of Myonnesos and the ruins locally called "Karaköse", both near Doğanbey township. The other ancient city found within the district, Lebedos, is located further south, near
Ürkmez Ürkmez is a small coastal town with own municipality and administratively depending the district center of Seferihisar in İzmir Province, Turkey. It is also a holiday resort, situated at a distance of approximately 50 km from the province cente ...
township. A
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
vacation village is located near Sığacık. Seferihisar district also has several beaches and bays along its 27 km coastline.


Recent news

There are four small dams built for irrigation purposes within the boundaries of Seferihisar district and effort is being pursued to use the region's
geothermal energy Geothermal energy is the thermal energy in the Earth's crust which originates from the formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of materials in currently uncertain but possibly roughly equal proportions. The high temperature and pr ...
resources. On 8 December 2007, the sea route from Seferihisar to
Chios Chios (; el, Χίος, Chíos , traditionally known as Scio in English) is the fifth largest Greek island, situated in the northern Aegean Sea. The island is separated from Turkey by the Chios Strait. Chios is notable for its exports of mast ...
was the scene of the single largest maritime incident in terms of loss of lives and involving migrants in the
Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi ( Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...
with the tragic occurrence of December 2007 Seferihisar, Turkey migrant boat disaster. In December 2009, Seferihisar became the first Turkish town named a member of the
Cittaslow Cittaslow is an organisation founded in Italy and inspired by the slow food movement. Cittaslow's goals include improving the quality of life in towns by slowing down its overall pace, especially in a city's use of spaces and the flow of life a ...
movement. As the newest member of the movement, Seferihisar will host a
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
tournament between several Cittaslow cities which will be held in June 2010. . The district was struck by a moderate
tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...
generated by an
earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, fr ...
on October 30, 2020. One person drowned in the advancing waves.


See also

* December 2007 Seferihisar, Turkey migrant boat disaster *
2020 Aegean Sea earthquake An earthquake with a moment magnitude of 6.9–7.0 occurred on 30 October 2020 about northeast of the Greek island of Samos. Although Samos was closest to the epicentre, it was the Turkish city İzmir, northeast that was heavily affected— ...


References


Sources

*


External links


Seferihisar Municipality website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seferihisar Populated coastal places in Turkey İzmir Populated places in İzmir Province Cittaslow Tourist attractions in İzmir Province Fishing communities in Turkey Districts of İzmir Province