Most of the villages of Marmaris have undergone a transformation towards tourism and have come to semi-village semi-holiday camp level. Bayır village is one of those exceptions. There is neither a luxurious touristic restaurant nor a boutique hotel in the village, which makes it special. The tourists visit here very often, but they do not stay for long. Motorcyclists, cyclists, jeep safarists, and other tourists take a break in the village square, then go on their ways.

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Bayır is 26 km away from Marmaris. You can drive there in 40 minutes. There are two routes to Bayır Village: first one is through İçmeler, Turunç, and Osmaniye; second is through Datça Road, Orhaniye, Turgut Village, which is quite longer(40 km). There are also public minibuses shuttle between Bayır and Marmaris.

 

Bayır Village is surrounded by mountains, and its center is away from the sea. The people of the village have settled widely in the land. Houses are neither close nor far apart from each other. The people living in the houses built on mountain slopes have made sets of stone walls in order to expand their living spaces. (The word bayır means “slope” in English). Since many places in the village are declared as protected areas, there are very limited areas for construction. The peasants complain a bit about this situation. Most of the villagers make their living with apiculture. Agriculture and animal husbandry are limited. In summer, beekeepers take their bees with them, and go to the highlands of Afyon city.

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 One of the iconic places of Bayır Village is the village square. Here is a place, where a giant plane tree, a mosque, a fountain and the village café come together. The main character in the square is the giant plane tree. It's about 1800 years old according to its epitaph. It is believed that people will live happier and longer when they turn around this tree. We also believe that. But in addition to turning around the tree, you should eat a pancake, drink a tea or a foamy ayran, and wash your face with the ice-cold water flowing from the Fountain of Girls right across the square. (The price of a toast is 5₺, as of April 2017, a quite reasonable price) Other prominent places around the square are: Balcı Hasanali(Honey Shop with other authentic products), Old Olive Oil Factory, and Syrna Candles which convert wax into art.

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Bayır is built on the ancient city of "Syrna". It is said to be that there was a temple devoted to Asclepius (god of medicine) on the site of the mosque, but up-to-date no remnants have been found to prove that yet. The acropolis* of Syrna is at the Yanca Hill, which is located on 2 km north east of the village, and can be reached after half an hour of hike. On the hill, you can see part of the city walls, grave lids and some other remnants.

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*Acropolis: a citadel or fortified structure of an ancient Greek city, typically one built on a hill.

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