Birgi, Historic village in Ödemiş, İzmir Province, Turkey
Birgi is a historic village in the Ödemiş district of İzmir Province, western Turkey, and is listed as a UNESCO Tentative World Heritage Site. Its narrow cobblestone streets run between two-story stone-and-timber houses, most of them well over a century old and still in use today.
The area around Birgi has been inhabited since ancient times, passing through Phrygian, Persian, Lydian, Roman, and Byzantine rule before the medieval period. In the 14th century, it became a key center under the Aydınoğulları principality, which gave the village several of its oldest standing buildings.
Silk production has long been part of daily life in Birgi, and local women still sell handmade silk goods at small market stalls. The village square and its teahouses are gathering spots where neighbors meet and the rhythm of everyday life plays out slowly.
Birgi sits about 6 miles (10 km) from Ödemiş and can be reached from İzmir by car or bus in around two hours. The lanes are narrow and meant for walking, so it is best to leave any vehicle at the village entrance and explore on foot.
The name Birgi comes from the Byzantine word Pyrgion, meaning tower, pointing to an old fortification that once stood over the settlement. Traces of ancient walls can still be spotted in places if you look closely.
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