Selçuk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Selçuk
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Settlement
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Map showing Selçuk District in İzmir Province
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 Selçuk
Location in Turkey
Selçuk
Location in İzmir
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| Country | Turkey |
| Province | İzmir |
| Area | 317 km2 (122 sq mi) |
| Population
(2022)
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38,151 |
| • Density | 120.35/km2 (311.7/sq mi) |
| Time zone | TRT (UTC+3) |
| Postal code |
35920
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| Area code | 0232 |
Selçuk is a town and a district in İzmir Province, Turkey. It covers an area of 317 square kilometers. In 2022, about 38,151 people lived there.
Selçuk is a very popular place for tourists to visit in Turkey. It is famous because it is very close to the ancient city of Ephesus. Ephesus was once home to the Temple of Artemis, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Other important places near Selçuk include the House of the Virgin Mary. The town also has the 6th-century Basilica of St. John the Apostle. Some people believe this church was built where the Apostle John was buried. This basilica was a very important and respected place in Ephesus.
Contents
History of Selçuk
Selçuk has a long and interesting history. Its old Greek name was Agios Theologos. This name honored John the Theologian, because Emperor Justinian I built a large church there for him. The name Ayasoluk came from this original Greek name.
In the 1300s, Selçuk was the capital city of the Beylik of Aydin. A Beylik was a small state ruled by a Bey. A famous traveler named Ibn Battuta visited Selçuk during this time. He wrote that its main mosque was one of the most beautiful in the world.
Later, under the Ottoman Empire, the town was still known as Ayasoluk. In 1914, its name was changed to Selçuk. This new name honored the Seljuk Turks, who were among the first Turkish groups to arrive in the area in the 1100s.
Selçuk used to be a smaller town within the Kuşadası district. But in 1957, it became its own district. Selçuk is surrounded by other towns. To the north is Torbalı, to the northeast is Tire, and to the east is Germencik. To the south is Kuşadası, and to the west is the Aegean Sea. Menderes is to the northwest.
In 1921, the village had about 600 people. Most of them were Greeks, with a small number of Turks and Armenians.
The older part of Selçuk still shows a lot of traditional Turkish culture. Ayasuluk Hill stands tall over the area. On its slopes, you can find several old buildings. These include the İsa Bey Mosque, built in 1375, and a large fortress. Ayasuluk Hill is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Ephesus.
Ephesus Beach, also called Pamucak, is one of the longest beaches in Turkey. It is about 12 kilometers long and has five large hotels.
Neighborhoods
Selçuk District has 14 different neighborhoods:
- 14 Mayıs
- Acarlar
- Atatürk
- Barutçu
- Belevi
- Çamlık
- Cumhuriyet
- Gökçealan
- Havutçulu
- İsabey
- Şirince
- Sultaniye
- Zafer
- Zeytinköy
Climate and Weather
Selçuk has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. This means it has hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters.
| Climate data for Selçuk (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 13.6 (56.5) |
14.9 (58.8) |
17.9 (64.2) |
21.9 (71.4) |
26.8 (80.2) |
31.8 (89.2) |
34.6 (94.3) |
34.6 (94.3) |
30.6 (87.1) |
25.7 (78.3) |
19.8 (67.6) |
14.8 (58.6) |
24.0 (75.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 8.1 (46.6) |
9.3 (48.7) |
11.8 (53.2) |
15.4 (59.7) |
19.9 (67.8) |
24.7 (76.5) |
27.2 (81.0) |
27.0 (80.6) |
22.7 (72.9) |
18.1 (64.6) |
13.0 (55.4) |
9.4 (48.9) |
17.3 (63.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 3.9 (39.0) |
4.8 (40.6) |
6.4 (43.5) |
9.4 (48.9) |
13.4 (56.1) |
17.4 (63.3) |
19.7 (67.5) |
19.6 (67.3) |
15.7 (60.3) |
12.0 (53.6) |
7.9 (46.2) |
5.4 (41.7) |
11.3 (52.3) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 124.16 (4.89) |
102.95 (4.05) |
71.82 (2.83) |
46.75 (1.84) |
31.73 (1.25) |
7.46 (0.29) |
0.98 (0.04) |
0.3 (0.01) |
17.25 (0.68) |
43.15 (1.70) |
95.1 (3.74) |
124.96 (4.92) |
666.61 (26.24) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 9.0 | 8.2 | 6.9 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 4.2 | 6.3 | 9.7 | 59.5 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 68.6 | 65.9 | 63.0 | 60.7 | 58.3 | 52.3 | 49.8 | 53.1 | 57.4 | 64.5 | 68.1 | 69.8 | 60.9 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Sports in Selçuk
The youth football teams of the İzmir-based sports club Altınordu S.K. play their home games in Selçuk. They play at the Altınordu Selçuk-Efes Football Complex. This complex is southwest of Selçuk and has five football fields. It is the biggest football venue in İzmir Province.
Famous People from Selçuk
- Bülent Cevahir (born 1992), a football player.
- Hafsa Hatun (before 1380 – after 1403), who was a wife of Sultan Bayezid I of the Ottoman Empire.
- The Seven Sleepers (around 250 AD), a group of young people who hid in a cave near Ephesus (modern-day Selçuk). They were trying to escape from the Roman persecutions of Christians. They are said to have woken up three centuries later.
Sister Cities
Selçuk has "sister city" relationships with several other cities around the world. This means they share cultural and educational ties. Selçuk is twinned with:
See also
In Spanish: Selçuk para niños
