Şile is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey.Büyükşehir İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 July 2023. Its area is 800 km2, and its population is 43,464 (2022). Bordering Şile is the province of Kocaeli (districts of Gebze, Körfez, Derince, Kandıra) to the east and south, and Istanbul districts of Pendik to the south, Çekmeköy to the southwest, and Beykoz to the west.İstanbul Büyükşehir Belediyesi (Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality). İstanbul Şehir Rehberi (Istanbul City Guide). Web: Retrieved 26 June 2010. The popular resort town Ağva is also a part of Şile. However, between June and September, the population rapidly increases because of the many residents of Istanbul who have summer houses in Şile.
History The word şile means marjoram in Turkish.Türk Dil Kurumu. Büyük Türkçe Sözlük (Large Turkish Dictionary). http://tdkterim.gov.tr/bts/?kategori=verilst&kelime=%FEile Retrieved 26 June 2010. The word's etymology is said to be Greek.Hürel, page 301. In the Byzantine period, Şile was known as Chele (Greek: Χηλή), a fortified harbor town on the Black Sea coast of Bithynia. The Greek name may derive from khēlē (χηλή), (Also spelled Xêlai or Xêlaita), meaning "claw" or metaphorically (“small breakwater” / “little claw-shaped harbor”).
There has been a fishing village here since 700 BC and a lighthouse since the Ottoman period. According to the Ottoman General Census of 1881/82-1893, the kaza of Şile had a total population of 16.770, consisting of 10.314 Muslims, 6.447 Greeks, 3 Armenians and 6 foreign citizens.Kemal Karpat (1985), Ottoman Population, 1830-1914, Demographic and Social Characteristics, The University of Wisconsin Press, p. 138-139 The boundaries of Şile were expanded by the addition of the village of Esenceli from Beykoz district in 1989.Karar Sayısı : 89/35864, Resmî Gazete, 3 August 1989.
Composition There are 62 neighbourhoods in Şile District:Mahalle, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
Ağaçdere Ağva Merkez Ahmetli Akçakese Alacalı Avcıkoru Balibey Bıçkıdere Bozgoca Bucaklı Çataklı Çavuş Çayırbaşı Çelebi Çengilli Darlık Değirmençayırı Doğancılı Erenler Esenceli Geredeli Göçe Gökmaşlı Göksu Hacı Kasım Hacıllı Hasanlı İmrendere İmrenli İsaköy Kabakoz Kadıköy Kalem Karabeyli Karacaköy Karakiraz Karamandere Kervansaray Kızılca Kömürlük Korucu Kumbaba Kurfallı Kurna Meşrutiyet Oruçoğlu Osmanköy Ovacık Sahilköy Satmazlı Sofular Soğullu Sortullu Şuayipli Teke Ulupelit Üvezli Yaka Yaylalı Yazımanayır Yeniköy Yeşilvadi
Features
Şile is famous for its beaches. However, it is at 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. Beachgoers drown here annually on a regular basis.Drownings in Şile The north-facing Black Sea has a much shorter holiday season than the Aegean, the Mediterranean or even the Marmara, due to the relatively colder winters. Şile Castle () is a 14th-century Genoese castle on an island in Şile.The Rough Guide to Istanbul. 2015. London: Rough Guides Ltd. The castle was renovated in 2015, sparking criticism that the work had made it resemble the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants or an illustration from the video game Minecraft.Historic Castle in Istanbul Turns into ‘SpongeBob’ after Restoration. 2015. Hurriyet Daily News (August 26). The tomb of a Muslim saint, Kum Baba, is on a tree-covered hill above Şile.Şile Istanbul Along the coast near Şile, in the village of Kızılcaköy, is a cave which, according to a local myth, is said to be the scene of events in the Anabasis of Xenophon. Şile is also known for Şile cloth, a crimped-looking, light, see-through cotton fabric, made on the Şile coast, sold in many shops in the town and sent to the bazaars of Istanbul.SuTowel A fair is held in the town to promote Şile cloth every summer. The largest campus of Işık University is located in Şile.
Transport Şile is a part of Istanbul public transport system (İETT). There is a bus from Harem via Üsküdar (located at the Anatolian side of Istanbul) to Şile (İETT Lines 139 and 139A).
Climate Şile's climate is humid subtropical according to the Köppen and Trewartha climate classification, though until recently, the town was in the oceanic zone. Şile's climate is marked by high humidity. It is in plant hardiness zone 8b, and AHS heat zone 2.
Twin towns – sister cities
Şile is twinned with: Idstein, Germany Barcaldin, Australia Cazin, Bosnia and Herzegovina
References
Sources Hürel, Haldun. Semtleri, Mahalleri, Caddeleri ve Sokakları A'dan Z'ye İstanbul'un Alfabetik Öyküsü. İstanbul, 2008. .
External links
Işık University Şile Municipality Şile Port - Tourist Information A firm manufacturing Şile bezi Şile 75. Yıl Elementary School