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SIDE
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Side is 65 km from Antalya Airport, private transfer would take 45 minutes, but by coach it can take up to 2 hours, depending on how many hotels they stop at. |
Such a little peninsula boasting a huge atmosphere, full of life, being surrounded by many big holiday villages, Side is the heart of the resort and draws everyone with its fabulous atmosphere, friendly people, an area steeped in history, something for everyone young and old to enjoy. Side has numerous regulars because of it's huge appeal. The peninsula boasts a few hotels and about 20 small family run pensions, to cater for all tastes.
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Side is a warm and welcoming resort, with plenty of shops, bars and restaurants, boasting a beautiful coastline with gorgeous beaches, fantastic for swimming and snorkelling. Colourful to say the least a part of Turkey that captures your heart and holds it. |
Being a quaint small village, Side is not like a resort as such but more like being part of true Turkish living, playing backgammon, smoking nargile (water pipe) and tasting proper Turkish cooking. You can go to your hotel / pension and have it quiet or leave and join the bustle of the shops and the lively nightlife. You will find the people friendly and relaxed and only happy to welcome you, this is the reason people return year after year. |
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(65 Km from Antalya on the east.) One of the best-known classical sites in Turkey, was an ancient harbour whose name meant pomegranate. Today a pretty resort town, its ancient ruins, two sandy beaches, many shops and extensive tourist accommodation attract throngs of visitors. There are numerous cafes and restaurants with a view of the sea, and the shops that line the narrow streets sell typical Turkish handicrafts including leather goods and Turkey’s famous beautiful gold jewellery. |
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Theatre: Has a capacity of 15 000 seats. The audience section is divided in half by means of a diazoma. Orchestra in a semi-circle curve. Stage building is two or three storey. Late Empire Period gladiator fights and animal fights were made here. In A.D. 5-6 th centuries during Byzantine Period it was used as an open air church. The theatre is dated from middle of A.D. 2nd century. The Apollo Temple is located within Byzantine Basilica together with the Athena Temple. From Roman period. Dates from A.D. 150's. A section was restored in 1983-1990 and recovered. |
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Despite several earthquakes, Side has preserved the majority of its buildings. One of the most important is the one erected in honor of the Emperor Vespasian and his son Titus. When it was restored, it was transformed into a fountain. The magnificent theater of the ancient city, built on colonnaded arches, is the largest in the whole area. (Closed for restoration) Other monuments include the Agora, the Apollo Temple that is situated near the sea, a Fountain and Necropolis. The extensive Roman baths, now a museum, houses one of Turkey's finest archaeological collections. |
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| Side was the most important port in Pamphylia, the Mediterranean region whose name meant Land Of All Tribes. Side itself was named after the pomegranate, a symbol of fertility in ancient Anatolian culture. Side was for centuries a magnet for people forced to leave their native land due to natural sdisaster or war. As you approach Side ruins appear in every direction: walls, aqueducts, agora, baths, theatre, temples, nymphion and tombs. the wave of tourism which began in the 1960 with lcal people renting rooms to visitors is today one of tidal proportions, carrying the resort into an unknown future. The modern history of Side begins in the late 19th century when Turkish migrants from the town of Khania in Crete arrived. They established the village of Selimiye amongst the ruins. Balancing the interests of tpurism and conservation is today the most urgent question facing Side if this fascinating and unique place is to preserve the character which attrects people here. Ancient writers tell us that successive streams of migrants forgot their own languages efter settling in Side. Although nor did they learn the language of the originial inhabitants, who spoke an ancient Anatolian language. In 547 - 546 B.C. when side was under Lycian rule, the region was invaded by the Persians. Two centuries later, in 334 BC, Alexander the Great arrived and Side surrendered without a fight. Alþexander set up his mint here. After the death of Alexander Side was ruled successively by the Ptolemations and Seleucids, later winning independence which continued after Pamphylia became part of the kingdom of Pergamum in 188 BC. As well as being a wealthy sea port, Side was a centre of culture and scholaeship. In 78 BC it became part of the Roman Empire, although retaining an extensive degree of self-government. During this period it added the slave trade to its already considerable sources of wealth. In the second half of the 3rd century attacks on Pamphlyia by the mountain peoples to the north waekend the city's economy and new walls were built to protect against these incursions. Under the Byzantines Side enjoyed final burstof prosperity before the combinationof earthquakes, piracy and Arab incursions eventually caused the city to be entirely abandoned in the 10th century. According to the Arab geographer Idrisi writing in 1150, the people of Side migrated westwards to New Antalya. Now one of the most important resorts on the Turkish Riviera, halfway between Alanya and Antalya and, Side originated during the 6th century when settlers from the west coast of Asia Minor established a colony and built a harbour here. After a period when it was a pirates lair and a slave market Side developed in Roman times into a commercial centre. However, coastal currents caused the harbour to silt up, this and an earhquake in the 9th century with the collapse of Roman rule led to the abandonmentof the city in the 9th century. Many of the current inhabitants are descendents of cretans who settled here around 1900 and more recently others who have fled the cities of Istanbul and Ankara to live the quieter life. The town lies amid the Hellenistic ruins surmounted by the imposing amphitheatre, the largest in Pamphylia, once accommodating 15000 people in 49 rows. The museum, closed Monday's (approx 125000 tl to enter) houses some of the finest statues, urns etc., recovered during a 20 year excavation period 1946 - 67 and exhibits are displayed in restored rooms, baths and in the garden. Lying south west of the museum and the Agora baths stands the triumphal arch, a monument to the emperor Vespasian and a number of fountains this forms the entrance to the village. From here follow the colonaded street to the harbour at the bottom through the village with a wide choice of souvenier shops and restaurants. Alongside the harbour are two principle temples of the city, dedicated to Apollo and Athena adjoining to the east are the ruins of a Byzantine bascilica. Either side of the imposing peninsular topped by the twin temples are mile long beaches, the one to the east the "BIG BEACH" towards Antalya is flanked by the 4 and 5 star hotels of the city. There is a good selection of watersports on both as well as a colouful selection of beach cafes. In the centre of Side there are abundant restaurants ranging from the small Lokantas serving simple but tasty food to the more extravagant harbour front locations serving the "catch of the day".
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