History
see Silivri for the history of the town, the ancient Selymbria (or Selybria) a port along the Marmara coast with a hilltop trading post behind, named after a Greek general and later occupied by Macedoanians, Romans, Byzantines and whoever else was in control of the city of Istanbul. Following the Ottoman conquest of the city Turkish soldiers were settled here and the church converted to a mosque, the town becoming the classic Ottoman urban mix of Jews, Greeks, Turks and Armenians. It was occupied by Bulgarian troops in
Holiday resort
During the summer months, the population increases 4-5 times. Silivri is 67 km far from the city center of Istanbul, and is a popular summer resort for many Istanbul residents with its 45 km long coast. It is on the highway D-100 and the motorway O-3 (E-80), which connect Turkey to Europe via Edirne. It takes about an hour and a half to get here from the city so is feasible for use in the summer months as a weekend and holiday retreat, although the road out here is heaving with traffic in summer.
Being so accessible from Istanbul the Marmara coast has long been used for holidaying by Istanbul's people. As the city has grown these facilities have moved further and further away. Once Florya and Yeþiköy were resorts, today it's Tekirdað and even further. Silivri had its heyday in the 60's and 70s as families would come by the busload to complexes of holiday flats that were built on the beach. Most had their own stretch of beach, perhaps with their neighbour's raw sewage running straight into the sea. The Marmara Sea here has suffered from pollution in the 80s and 90s but now efforts have been made to clean it up and people do swim. Some of these places have sports centres, discos, go-kart tracks, games rooms for the kids etc and many Istanbul families have pleasant memories of trips to Silivri in the 70s and 80s, sitting on the beach in the summer moonlight while the kids run about until they drop from tiredness. Some still go today. All the facilities are located in the holiday housing area, the town centre of Silivri has little to offer in the way of cinema, theatre or any other cultural amenities.
Now the coast has also been blessed with resort hotels and country clubs with sport facilities including golf courses, horse riding centres and tennis courts, health and conference centers. At weekend the area is crowded with day trippers.
With all this development it's hard to find a stretch of open coastline.
The winter months are cold here, as bitter weather blows across Thrace from the Balkans, and holiday homes in Silivri are not much used from mid-September until May or even June.
Agriculture
The district has great agricultural potential thanks to its almost flat landscape, mild Thracian climate and yield-effective soil, and in the 1950's and 1960's the pasture was so rich that the yoghurt of Silivri was renowned. Now the reputation of the yoghurt has declined due to poor quality control and mismanagement of the brand. Yhe Silivri Yoghurt Festival used to be a major event but nowadays there is less interest and in someyears it is not even held. Wheat (246 km²), sunflower (105 km²) and barley (50 km²) are cultivated here. Vineyards were once important but have declined since the 1970s. Livestock is still important.
High schools
- Silivri Lisesi (Silivri High School) Visit web site
- Hasan - Sabriye Gümüþ Anadolu Lisesi (Anatolian High School) Visit web site
- Özel Balkan Lisesi (Private Balkan High School) Visit web site
- Necip Sarýbekir Lisesi
- Teknik Lise ve Endüstri Meslek Lisesi (Technical High School and Industry - Profession High School) Visit web site
- Þerife Baldöktü Meslek Lisesi (Þerife Baldöktü Profession High School)
List of towns and villages of Silivri
Towns (total population 41,669) (Büyük Çavuþlu, Celaliye-Kamiloba, Çanta, Deðirmenköy, Gümüþyaka, Kavaklý, Ortaköy, Selimpaþa), and villages (total population 21,956) (Akören, Alipaþa, Bekirli, Beyciler, Büyükkýlýçlý, Büyük Sinekli, Çayýrdere, Çeltik, Danamandýra, Fener, Gazitepe, Kadýköy, Kurfallý, Küçükkýlýçlý, Küçük Sinekli, Sayalar, Seymen, Yolçatý).
