SELIMIYE

The year is 1994. My efforts to learn the sea and seamanship with my first boat, which I bought in 1993, continue feverishly. I’m buying whatever publications there are on the subject, reading them, and when I finish, I read them almost again.

I bought Nükhet Anadol’s guidebook about our coasts. Back then, it was the only book on this subject. From looking at it and reading it so much, the strings binding the pages have come out.

There’s a picture in the middle pages that takes me away from where I am and draws me into it.

I’m in Çeşme and I’ve become fixated on an aerial photograph showing the quay of a place called Selimiye. I must go there with my boat and definitely see more different places.

Looking at those stuck and moored in the marina, this desire whips me up even more.

In the first year, I cruise the North Aegean. Then I’ll descend to the South Aegean and Mediterranean.

The year is 1995. My voyage, which starts in Foça, ends in Marmaris after 3 months of taking it all in.

The goal in mind; Selimiye, where that aerial photograph is. To definitely moor the boat to that quay in the photograph.

Finally, our dreams come true and we reach the paradise of Selimiye.

Selimiye is a small settlement. There are one or two grocery stores with limited food and drink. The number of restaurants is the same.

Boats can easily tie up to the quay. The sea is crystal clear, we witness the fish playing.

A coffee shop by the sea, also a grocery store. “If you want, you can moor your boat here in winter, you can come and pick it up in summer,” they say.

It’s that safe and pristine. p>

Along the coastline, fishermen's houses, happy people with deep lines of years on aged faces and hands.

I got to know Selimiye with its massive trees extending almost into the sea, its charming houses, and fishing nets spread along the quay.

After starting this article series, I wanted to cover this corner of paradise as well. I sailed all the way to the entrance of Selimiye Cove with the beautiful wind of Hisarönü Bay.

The following wind that suddenly dies at the entrance, when you turn your bow towards Selimiye, as always, makes you sail a tight beat this time and throws the boat all the way to the shore.

I tried to remember the year 1995. The difference is not very difficult to notice, from afar or up close.

That village is gone, a large settlement greets us.

As always, we take our place at anchor. Because the times we moored to the quay, sudden downpours created the experience that this type of anchoring is better for me.

Besides; since the silence and tranquility of the quay are gone, landing ashore on the coastline that has turned into a promenade area doesn't suit me much either.

Of course, I haven't gotten over the anger of the days when someone would come with a receipt stub and ask for mooring fees if you tied up to the quay. Although this practice has been abolished, the uneasiness seems like it will continue for a while.p>

I don't really visit Selimiye in July and August. I don't know, maybe I just can't reconcile this crowd with the place.

It's been discovered, now waiting to be worn out, and this process has already begun.

Complaints from those who come, complaints from those who live there.

Our classic habit. The villager doesn't like the village, tries to turn his beautiful town into a city.

The city dweller wants to go to the village, wants to escape the urban chaos.

But in the village he goes to, he wants everything complete, just like in the city.

If he settles, he transfers his habits and lifestyle too.

Then the village with 2 grocery stores gets supermarket chains, famous patisseries, cafes, different and expensive restaurants, bars, and Selimiye Village goes away and Little Selimiye City arrives.

Of course, we accept this too, but if only the arriving city didn't keep the departing village's infrastructure.

Besides, we can transform a place from village to city, but never from city to village.

We see sad beautiful Selimiye in the final days of a season where all these distortions have peaked.

There's almost no fish to speak of, we practically have to search for fishermen just to photograph them.

There's a huge pier in the middle, even the issue of who will operate it, which organization, is in court.

But the lighting, decoration, display window are magnificent in season.

When all these activities end, a pitch-dark, deserted, almost abandoned, tired and worn-out town remains for winter.

Pitch-dark roads, makeshift closed facilities.

This is the final state of my dream Selimiye, I don't know if it just seems that way to me.

The locals I extend my recorder to, the regular devotees of the town, seem to share the same opinion.

First, we go to the Mete family who bake village bread every morning in their small house with a garden on the street right behind the quay.

Sunay Mete, his wife Fatma hanım, and their children bake bread every morning in a two-stone  oven. Sunay Mete has been trying to fulfill phone orders for years.

They were very busy as usual. It took time to conduct the interview.

Bread waiting to be baked in the oven, customers in front of the counter...

Those who sigh “Ah” when Selimiye is mentioned.

SUNAY METE

“In Selimiye, we used to make our living from fishing and agriculture. Over time, tourism replaced agriculture. I also make my living by fishing in winter and selling village bread in summer. Selimiye has changed and developed a lot over the years. This development seemed to bring happiness to Selimiye residents for now, but generally unhappiness prevails in my opinion.

Our village has ceased and is ceasing to be that village. Infrastructure inadequacy shows itself every day. The absence of a sewage system, electricity insufficiency, coastal strip chaos are now known as serious disruptions visible to our guests. Due to the lack of a sewage system, both additional expenses and disturbing scenes occur in such a tourism town.

As a result of zoning studies not being realized, uncontrolled construction and growth could not be prevented. Difficulties are experienced in the construction of residences and facilities.

I love Selimiye very much, but I believe the state needs to take action immediately for all these deficiencies before it’s too late.

After meeting with Sunay Mete, I move to Sardunya restaurant. We will meet with Ferit Önsel.

Mr. Ferit is a maritime enthusiast who established and developed his own business after leaving naval officership at a young age.

He has been a boat owner for years (SY/EDALI), deeply immersed in the sea.

His English is very strong and he is well-versed in maritime terminology. We have been together since the founding stages of the coastguidetr.com website and he did all the translations himself.

At the same time, he is a Selimiye enthusiast. Sometimes he stays in Selimiye for days. He had come again with his wife, moored at the pier. We waited for him to wake up for the interview.

On a calm Selimiye morning, he told us about his Selimiye.

Shortly after this interview, we bid him farewell to the eternal blue. The disease of our age took this life-loving seaman from this world as well.

FERİT ÖNSEL

“I have been coming to Selimiye with my boat for 15 years. I am in love with Selimiye. The reason for this is; its people are calm, its nature is perfect.

Although we are striving to pollute these places with the crowds we create in July and August, it becomes magnificent in September and October. However, I cannot understand the construction in Selimiye.

Not long ago, the town with a population of 1,000-1,500 suddenly jumped to 3,000.

In summer, 7,500-8,000 people live here and there is no infrastructure, or it is at its capacity from years ago.

Kaçak-Göçek ended up like this. Now, with its connection to the Metropolitan Municipality, I believe there will be an inspection.

This is for the benefit of this beautiful town.

As a sailor, it may sound contradictory, but I am against the large pier built here. It was built like a shanty without any research or infrastructure.

It had already broken off due to the effect of a winter wind. I am amazed at the sailors who moor and leave their boats at this pier.

When such structures are built, they should have sewage discharge units, treatment facilities, toilets, and bathrooms. I cannot make sense of it. When there was that beautiful huge natural village quay, what was the need for this pier. The segment here has changed so much that the largest retail chain stores have opened.

Before it is too late, Selimiye needs infrastructure and real control.”

Yes, our captain is absolutely right, word for word.

You generally cannot berth at the pier for a day or a few days.

You cannot leave your boat here for a day or two and go for an important matter. Because unfortunately, the pier only makes annual contracts. It is completely full. Even if these places are empty at that moment, they are reserved for their owners.

This pier practice, which wouldn't exist anywhere else in the world, unfortunately exists in Selimiye.

Contracts should be made, but in our opinion; for the period between November-May. Never for the season.

After Ferit Önsel, we board a small tour boat moored stern-to at the quay. Captain Zafer is waiting for us.

A former fisherman. We decided to ask him about the fishing heritage in the fishing village and the point they have reached.

ZAFER YILDIRIM

“I am from Selimiye. While I was making my living from fishing, in 2005, with the sudden disappearance of fish in the region, my fishing life came to an end.

Until that time, fishermen here could earn their daily living with even a single squid.

Wrong fishing practices, implementation of fishing bans with wrong timing brought an end to this business.

When fish escape to deeper and cooler waters in summer, fishing became impossible. When trawlers entered the seas where we caught sinarit in the lagoons, we couldn't even find tombik anymore.

When the fish were gone, I first started working in the restaurant business, then began operating a daily tour boat.

Selimiye became crowded.

Tour boats have also multiplied. This has created competition and these operations are now being run almost at cost.

Boats departing from the Marmaris side cause noise and visual pollution in the coves.

While we conduct a peaceful, tranquil tour with 10, maybe 15 people at most, the boats we're talking about virtually occupy the coves with high-volume announcements and music. They carry hundreds of people and the rules are not being followed.

I'm worried about Selimiye. There are no roads, instead of roads descending vertically to the shore, people go down to the sea through the restaurants. The infrastructure is very poor.

In winter, street lighting is virtually non-existent.

During summer months, visitor vehicles park left and right on narrow roads.

No organization can be implemented. There's no space. Selimiye suddenly became crowded but it cannot handle this development.”

Selimiye has a young, knowledgeable, active muhtar (village headman). We caught up with Şenol Deniz in front of his house. He was looking after his child until his teacher wife returned from school. We're taking his photograph while we're talking. From time to time, the child's voice enters our recording. He says there are many things to be done and that need to be done for Selimiye.

ŞENOL DENİZ

“We have become a highly preferred town in maritime and land tourism in recent years. The state needs to urgently address the infrastructure inadequacy and the very rapid pollution of the sea.

The huge pier in the small Selimiye cove was completely unnecessary.

This pier was not needed at all when we already have our quays.

Uncontrolled construction has affected us. There should be predominantly wooden and stone structures. For 2 years, no new construction has been permitted. In the coming years, controlled construction of elegant buildings befitting Selimiye will benefit our town.

Along with this, the infrastructure deficiency must be addressed urgently. The town cannot handle this density. It is essential to take measures without disrupting Selimiye’s natural structure.”

After capturing all these images and making our recordings, we conclude our two-day Selimiye visit and weigh anchor.

Hoping that Selimiye will be set right before it’s too late, we set our sails.

The weather is very favorable for sailing. We are heading to the neighboring island of Symi.

The wind keeps increasing, the sea keeps building, and we are arriving at the island very quickly.

We left Selimiye and arrived at Symi.

We saw the difference, we wanted you to see it for comparison. The urban identity says “hello” to us. Not a single tree or other beauty. But there is order, an established architectural style.

Regardless of their economic situation, they don’t neglect maintenance. There is no electricity but with transported fuel, a generator runs continuously producing electricity for the island. p>

We don't know what to say. We complete our voyage in the land of those who turn these barren areas and rocky shores into tourism paradises and return to our country.

We enter Bencik Koyu almost with the current. Here is paradise, here is the picture. 

What's that, the sun is about to set. There is a container belonging to those who are looking for development opportunities on a plot of land for sale on the shore. We've been observing for a year wondering what will happen. The watchman has lit a fire to clean up the garbage. And we are witnessing a narrow escape from a major forest fire. Before we could rush from the cabin to get our cameras in bewilderment, the fire is extinguished with the help of those rushing with their dinghies.

We are on the route to paradise where words fall short. Where should we drop our anchor in our next article?

Stay healthy and safe.