AN ENDEARING VILLAGE, FAR AWAY

The endearing village that was given names such as Kırkınca, Kirkice, Kirkince, and Çirkince, came to be called “Şirince” years later on the initiative of Kazım Dirik, the former governor of Izmir. The rise in the number of visitors to Şirince, which not too long ago was unknown to most, has transformed the village into a tourist attraction.

When I started university,

I had heard that there were many places to visit around Izmir. Of course, I did not get the chance to visit and explore them all, but I especially wanted to see one of them – Şirince, dazzling with its architecture amongst the greenery.

It had been exactly 20 years since my first visit. On that day, we met at the Basmane train station with a friend from university and following a wobbly train ride to Selçuk that took about an hour, we got on one of the shared taxis that departed from Selçuk for Şirince every half an hour. As we went up the meandering road, the people we saw were obviously going to their fields. The early morning sun greeted us from up above the large expanse of orchards and nut pines trees with their needlelike leaves. Following a short trip, we found ourselves in Şirince’s square and in a brandnew atmosphere. In the square, which was not yet crowded at that hour, there were scattered stalls. As its air was so different from the city we lived in, we inhaled it eagerly. Then, we started the ascent. We visited the Nişanyan Houses that were under construction at that time. After taking a break in one of the yards of the houses that share a specific aesthetic appeal, we started strolling along the narrow streets.

In truth, not knowing where to go, we found our way by asking people. We were told that there was a church and we headed that way. When we arrived where we had been advised, we came across the Church of St. John the Baptist, which had been restored by the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The church had a courtyard with a fountain in the middle and adorned wih an epitaph that read, “The Church of the Prophet John the Baptist is raised upon the orders of the high priestess

of Heliopolis under the aegis of Kallinikos of Siphnos for his dear Lord. It is built with the valuable donations of the God-loving Christians living here and the surrounds.” The fountain features a sculpture of the Virgin Mary and has been turned into a wishing fountain by visitors.Everyone who arrived here threw a coin into the fountain and made a wish. We left the courtyard, which became more crowded as time passed, and took a break to sip “samovar tea.” We were short of time, and we wanted to explore the place as much as we could.

As we walked down from the neighborhood with the old houses, a venue somewhere close to the square caught our eye: it was a stately stone building that had been turned into a special restaurant called Taş Mektep. A part of the building had also been converted into a museum which documented the changes in education from the declaration of the Edict of Gülhane in 1839 to the Republican era.

From Kırkınca to Şirince

The Ottoman Greek village, whose population did not exceed 2,000 in time became Şirince, whose population increased day by day following the settlement of Turks during the population exchange. The village, where vineyard and olive production prevailed under the Ottoman Greeks, started to take on the production of significant produce like peaches, figs,

apples, and walnuts later on. Apart from tourism, these became the villagers’ main sources of income. As people living here were encouraged to take up tourism, most of the old houses now serve as boutique hotels. The development of agriculture and the increase in the variety of produce led to tasteful tables and a wider array of delicacies for visitors. When you visit the region, make sure to try “gözleme”, elderberry syrup, and Turkish coffee brewed on sand. If you plan to purchase olive oil, don’t omit to ask for an expert’s advice. Şirince is a place you can visit all year round. Everyone knows that it is crowded throughout the summer, and if you would prefer not to visit then, you can do so in autumn. Şirince presents alternative routes to its visitors. For instance, it is only eight kilometers from

Ephesus. Having come all the way, you can’t go back without seeing Ephesus - not only Ephesus, of course, but also the Temple of Artemis, the House of the Virgin Mary, the Selçuk Castle, the Basilica of St. John, Kuşadası, and the Dilek Peninsula Great Menderes Delta National Park all deserve a place on your bucket list.

The Nesin Mathematics Village is another place worth visiting. The village, which belongs to the Nesin Foundation, is a “relaxation” or “racking your brains” land over a total of 13.5 acres…

As a wanderer, I would like to write more about Şirince; however, I recommend to those who would like to know more, to follow their own compass and head anywhere in Şirince they desire. It may not be advisable to offer too many recommendations so that everyone can discover their own course of exploration.

Throughout his life, various titles came before the name of Zeki Müren.Cited in the headlines of interviews, published in newspapers and magazines, nightclub ads, and records, these titles glorified and consolidated his uniqueness. “The great star”, “The people’s full-blooded offspring”, “The unsurpassable great artist”, “A true artist”, “The unequaled star, the epitome of art”… And, finally, “The Sun of Art.” This last one persisted. Zeki Müren was referred to with this title for years.

Born in the Tophane neighborhood of Bursa, losing his heart to music at a young age, the road he had to thread from the boy who, on his own, tried to sing the songs played on the gramophone in their garden to becoming “The Sun of Art” Zeki Müren was a long one.

Müren was born lucky. He opened his eyes to an affluent family in Bursa. His first musical sounds, muttered by his grandmother from time to time, were ethnic ones since his lumber trader father was an immigrant from Morea. He started his amateur studies in music by reciting the songs and folk songs performed by the musical convocation groups visiting the Kuleli Garden close to their home. He even cut cardboards to resemble records and wrote “Sung by Zeki Müren” on them, rehearsing in a way his rise to fame which would come years later.

He received his first serious music lessons from İzzettin Gerçeker in Bursa. Starring in “The Shepherd’s Song,” a show staged at Tophane Junior High School, he learned how to stand on stage. When he graduated from junior high school, with the recommendation of their family friend Hayri Terzioğlu, he continued his studies as a boarding student at Boğaziçi High School in Istanbul. Outside school hours, he seamlessly continued his studies in music with solfège and method lessons from Agopos Alyanak and Kirkor Efendi. This influential trader who had a great circle of acquaintances in Istanbul introduced him to his friend Kemal Mollaoğlu’s spouse, Hamiyet Yüceses, one of the era’s most famous singers. Yüceses loved Zeki Müren a lot and she hosted him often both in her house and the nightclubs where she performed. Thanks to this and getting to know other vocal artists and instrumentalists, Zeki Müren established important connections that would contribute to his career later in life. Müren met Müzeyyen Senar in those days. She also loved his voice and well-behaved manners, and helped him in every way she could. He met composer and lute player Şerif İçli thanks to Yüceses. In those days, Şerif

İçli used to visit Hamiyet Yüceses in her house several days a week, and they would determine the

songs she would sing on the radio and in concerts. Seeing Şerif

İçli’s teaching technique, Müren also became his student. He started to convoke in the houses of composers during his outside school hours. Şükrü Tunar, whom he met at Şerif İçli’s house, gave him the chance to sign his first record deal and Müren’s “A Love Bird” album was released by Sahibinin Sesi record company. Recognizing his unique talent the company’s music producer Mihran Gürciyan signed him for four records and signed an exclusive music licensing agreement with him. Starting to compose under the inf luence of his professor, Müren’s songs “Don’t Make My Life Miserable My Beloved” and “When Will This Heartache End” became popular first in Bursa and then in Istanbul. The renowned soloist Suzan Güven sang these songs

on her radio program following the announcement, “The songs of Zeki Müren from Bursa.” Thanks to Suzan Güven, who sang his first compositions on the air, he entered the radio exam in fall of 1950 and won. Refik Fersan, whom he met in that exam, helped him give his first radio concert. On the evening of January 1, 1951, Perihan Altındağ Sözeri excused herself for not being able to give her concert due to ailment and Refik Fersan called Müren, who had passed the exam, asking him to come and sing instead of Sözeri. This was a great chance for the aspiring artist. Zeki Müren made great use of it and that night all Turkey listened to his voice. That concert was a turning point in Zeki Müren becoming “The Sun of Art.” In a trice, following the concert, the news coverage that ensued made him a shining star in musical circles.

Seeing Müren’s success,the company Sahibinin Sesi released the prerecorded album “A Love Bird”. Thanks to this record, which became a bestseller, he became a household name across the country.

True to his name, being a brilliant and hardworking young man,

Zeki Müren left no room for coincidences. The press was also quite interested in him.

The newspaper and magazine columnists were intrigued by a young male vocalist making headway in the musical circles that to that day had been predominated by female vocalists and started to interview him frequently. As he went on to sing on the air and to record, in autumn

of 1951, he also enrolled in the Design Department of the Fine Arts Academy.He continued his studies as a successful student of Professor Sabih Gözen and met the tobacco trader İhsan Doruk, again a friend of Hayri Terzioğlu. Doruk’s spouse was the famous star Cahide Sonku who took notice of Müren’s superior ability in fine arts and decided to shoot a movie with him.

Zeki Müren took his first step in Yeşilçam, the film industry of Turkey, with the movie The Long-Awaited Song produced in 1953. Becoming a blockbuster, the movie led to Müren’s rise to fame across the country. He sang his own compositions alongside other songs, and engaged the attention of the art world and audiences. He started to be showered by offers for performances which he turned down by saying that he couldn’t start a professional career in music without completing his studies. In 1953, Müren gave his first concerts in Ankara and Izmir to raise funds for the Society for the Protection of Children. These initial public concerts heralded the success he would achieve on the nightclub stages in the future. He shot his second movie with Erman Film in 1954. “The Last Composition” co-produced with Hürrem Erman, turned him into the highest-paid star in cinema. It was time for him to go on stage. When he graduated from the academy in 1955, for a fee of 1,200 Liras, a sum nobody before him had been paid, he signed a contract with Küçük Çiftlik Park. Before beginning, he went on tour with Şükrü Tunarand in 29 different cities -an experience that warmed him to the stage. On May 24, 1955, he took a step into the world of nightclubs by taking the stage at Küçük Çiftlik Park. The program also featured Perihan Sözeri, who had not been on stage for six to

seven months. The owner of the nightclub, Mahmut Anlar, had devised a packed program. The first 20 days, the nightclub was full and then the number of customers started to tail off. Anlar decided to reinforce the program and asked Hamiyet Yüceses to take part in it. Yüceses accepted the offer to save the nightclub and support Zeki Müren. Even though this left Müren a bit heartbroken, with the collaboration of three soloists, Küçük Çiftlik Park became the top-rated nightclub of the season.

When the season ended, Zeki Müren took up business by opening a perfume shop in Galatasaray. His fans spilled onto the street from the “Zeki Müren” store. At the same time, he founded Müren Recordsunder his own name.

With “Magnolia”, the album he recorded for this company, he won a Golden Record Award.

Succeeding both in the arts and trade, Zeki Müren shone more and more as “The Sun of Art” for 25 years on stage, the silver screen, TV, and radio.

In 1965, he exhibited the designs he made during his years as a student in the gallery of the Olgunlaşma Institute. The same year, he proved that he was also a success in acting with the play “Tea and Sympathy” at the Arena Stage, where he starred alongside Altan Karındaş.

He also wrote columns in various newspapers and magazines. In 1969, his concert in Aspendos, Antalya was one of the groundbreaking events of his artistic career.

In 1980, after 25 years of countless success stories, his exhausted heart started to fail him. After being hospitalized for some

time, he retired into seclusion upon the advice of his doctor. When he felt well, albeit not quite often, he gave concerts, recorded albums, and presented TV shows. His career both in the arts and in entertainment were in a program shot for Izmir TRT with Ajda Pekkan and Muazzez Ersoy. Millions tuned in to watch the magnificent farewell of

“The Sun of Art,” whose artistic brilliance was foreordained for very few.