Şile

Şile is a small holiday town on the Black Sea, 70 km from the city of Istanbul, Turkey. In 2000 the population was 32,923, of which 10,571 lived in the town of Şile, and the remainder lived in surrounding villages, including Ağva (Yeşilçay). However, between June and September, the population rapidly increases because of the many residents of Istanbul who have summer houses in Şile.

 

There has been a fishing village here since 700 BC and a lighthouse since the Ottoman period. Today, Şile is a beach resort, popular with people who want a resort atmosphere without having to go to the expense of travelling to the Mediterranean Sea. Şile is about an hour's drive from the city and was always a retreat from the city. During Turkey's economic boom of the 1990s, a great many summer homes and holiday villages were built for the city's middle class, especially after the 1999 earthquake damaged the Marmara coast. There is a small but sandy beach, a little harbour of fishing boats, dense forest behind and a quiet pleasant atmosphere during the week. At weekends though, and especially on a hot summer Sunday Şile is crowded with day-trippers from the poorer districts of the city, who come packed into minibuses and vans to picnic and play football. There are a number of bars and restaurants with sea views, especially in the little park around the lighthouse.

 

Şile however, is on the northernmost point of Istanbul and thus, shares the same sea conditions as other Black Sea towns where strong sea undercurrents can be dangerous to inexperienced swimmers. There is insufficient danger warning and people drown here regularly. The north-facing Black Sea has a much shorter holiday season than the Aegean, the Mediterranean or even the Marmara, due to the cold winters.

 

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