Side ; History, Nature, Tradition...All in one place.
Side (pronounced See-Deh), is a small lovely beachfront town on the southern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. 55 Km from the main town of Antalya , and 45 mins south from the International Airport of Antalya, Side is one of the most well known touristic locations of Turkey. Today, as in antiquity, the ancient city is situated on a small north-south peninsula about 1 km long and 400 m across.
Side's history takes root in the 7th century B.C, when its started to become an important commercial location, with an active harbour and ideal location with rich soil allowing plantations of many fruits and vegetables. The name Side is Anatolian in origin and means pomegranate.
Places to visit;
The ruins of Side are considered among the most important in Asia Minor and attracts millions of tourists from all around the world every year.
There are colossal ruins of a theater complex, the largest of Pamphylia, built much like a Roman amphitheater that relies on arches to support the sheer verticals. The Roman style was adopted because Side lacked a convenient hillside that could be hollowed out in the usual Greek fashion more typical of Asia Minor. The theater is less preserved than the theater at Aspendos, but it is almost as large, seating 15,000 - 20,000 people. With time and the shifting of the earth, the scena wall has collapsed over the stage and the proscenium is in a cataract of loose blocks. It was converted into an open-air sanctuary with two chapels during Byzantine times (5th-6th c.)
The well-preserved city walls provide an entrance to the site through the Hellenistic main gate (Megale Pyle) of the ancient city, although this gate from the second century BC is badly damaged. Next comes the colonnaded street, whose marble columns are no longer extant; all that remains are a few broken stubs near the old Roman baths. The street leads to the a public bath, restored as a museum displaying statues and sarcophagi from the Roman period. Next is the square agora with the remains of the round Tyche and Fortuna temple (2nd c. BC), a periptery with twelve columns, in the middle. In later times it was used as a trading center where pirates sold slaves. The remains of the theatre, which was used for gladiator fights and later as a church, and the monumental gate date back to the 2nd century. The early Roman Temple of Dionysus is near the theater. The fountain gracing the entrance is restored. At the left side are the remains of a Byzantine Basilica. A public bath has also been restored.
The remaining ruins of Side include three temples, an aqueduct, and a nymphaeum. Side's nymphaeum - a grotto with a natural water supply dedicated to the nymphs - was an artificial grotto or fountain building of elaborate design.
Turkish archaeologists have been excavating Side since 1947 and intermittently continue to do so.
(For more info please visit www.wikipedia.org)
Social Life in Side;
Side is well know for its quiet and peaceful character, with a small city center where one can find all kind of small bars and restaurants, good for all tastes. Side, although being quite busy during the summer season, with millions of tourists coming to visit the world wide known ruins, the location tends to be quieter during the winter season. The best time to visit Side would be from beginning May to end September.
