Narlıdere was founded as a village by semi-nomadic Tahtacı–Alevi Turkmens in the 18th century, whose descendants still constitute the backbone of the population, preserving their particular popular culture and folklore, and maintaining their recently restored seminary, called Cemevi. During the Greek Uprising, Greek pirates from Samos kidnapped these Tahtacı Türkmens for ransom from their relatives day and night and also stole animals and other property as there were no troops in the coast between İzmir and Urla.
Narlıdere was established as a village by semi-nomadic Tahtacı–Alevi Turkmens in the 18th century, whose descendants still form the core of the population, preserving their unique cultural traditions and folklore, and maintaining their recently restored seminary, called Cemevi. During the Greek Uprising, Greek pirates from Samos kidnapped these Tahtacı Türkmens for ransom from their relatives day and night and also pilfered livestock and other possessions as there were no troops stationed along the coast between İzmir and Urla.