Side, Turkey

Coordinates: 36°46′00″N 31°23′20″E / 36.76667°N 31.38889°E / 36.76667; 31.38889
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the town of Side on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. For the town of ancient Caria, see
Side (Pontus)
.
Side
Σίδη
The Temple of Apollo is located at the end of Side's peninsula.
Side, Turkey is located in Turkey
Side, Turkey
Shown within Turkey
LocationAntalya Province, Turkey
RegionPamphylia
Coordinates36°46′00″N 31°23′20″E / 36.76667°N 31.38889°E / 36.76667; 31.38889
TypeSettlement
History
Founded7th century BCE
CulturesGreek, Roman, Byzantine
Site notes
ConditionIn ruin
Plan of Roman Side

Side (Greek: Σίδη, Sídē, formerly: Selimiye, pronounced: tsiːdeɪ)[1] is a city on the southern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. It includes the modern resort town and the ruins of the ancient city of Side, one of the best-known classical sites in the country. Modern Side is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Manavgat, Antalya Province, Turkey.[2] Its population is 14,527 (2022).[3] Before the 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (belde).[4][5] It lies near Manavgat, 78 km from Antalya.[6]

It is located on the eastern part of the

Eurymedon River. Today, as in antiquity, the ancient city is situated on a small north-south peninsula
about 1 km long and 400 m across.

History

Neo-Hittites
is evidence of the site's early history.

Possessing a good harbour for small craft, Side's natural geography made it one of the most important trade centres in the region.

Its tutelary deity was Athena, whose head adorned its coinage.

Excavations have revealed several inscriptions written in the language of Side. The inscriptions, dating from the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, remain undeciphered, but testify that the local language was still in use several centuries after colonisation.

Macedonian Rule

Vespasian Gate
The ancient theatre

Hellenistic culture, which flourished from the 4th to the 1st century BC. After Alexander's death, Side fell under the control of one of Alexander's generals, Ptolemy I Soter, who declared himself king of Egypt in 305 BC. The Ptolemaic dynasty controlled Side until it was captured by the Seleucid Empire
in the 2nd century BC. Yet, despite these occupations, Side managed to preserve some autonomy, grew prosperous, and became an important cultural centre.


In 190 BC a fleet from the Greek island city-state of Rhodes, supported by Rome and Pergamum, defeated the Seleucid King Antiochus the Great's fleet, which was under the command of the fugitive Carthaginian general Hannibal. The defeat of Hannibal and Antiochus the Great meant that Side freed itself from the overlord-ship of the Seleucid Empire.

Post-Seleucid Rule

Tetradrachm from Side, 201-190 BC, depicting winged Victory. Now in Palais de Rumine, Lausanne, Switzerland

The

Attalia (the present Antalya), although Side already possessed an important harbour of its own. Between 188 and 36 BC Side minted its own money, tetradrachms showing Nike
and a laurel wreath (the sign of victory).

In the 1st century BC, Side reached a peak when the

Cilician pirates established their chief naval base and a centre for their slave-trade
.

Romans

The main street is lined with the ruins of homes or shops, many of which feature their original mosaic flooring
Hospital dating to the 6th century.

The consul

Servilius Vatia defeated these brigands in 78 BC and later the Roman general Pompey in 67 BC, bringing Side under the control of Rome and beginning its second period of ascendancy, when it established and maintained a good working relationship with the Roman Empire.[8]

Emperor

Mediterranean
. Its large commercial fleet engaged in acts of piracy, while wealthy merchants paid for such tributes as public works, monuments, and competitions as well as the games and gladiator fights. Most of the extant ruins at Side date from this period of prosperity.

Side was the home of Eustathius of Antioch, of the philosopher Troilus, of the fifth-century ecclesiastical writer Philip; of the famous lawyer Tribonian.[9]

Decline

Side began a steady decline from the 4th century on. Even defensive walls could not stop successive invasions of highlanders from the Taurus Mountains. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Side experienced a revival, and became the seat of the Bishopric of Eastern Pamphylia. Arab fleets, nevertheless, raided and burned Side during the 7th century, contributing to its decline. The combination of earthquakes, Christian zealots and Arab raids, left the site abandoned by the 10th century, its citizens having emigrated to nearby Attalia.[8]

In the 12th century, Side temporarily established itself once more as a large city. An inscription found on the site of the former ancient city shows a considerable

Attalia
, and Side became known as Eski Adalia 'Old Antalya' and was buried.

Ecclesiastical history

As capital of the

Perge and Attalia was at the same time the administrator of Side.[10][citation needed
]

No longer a residential see, Side is today included in the Catholic Church's list of titular sees.[11]

Monuments and Site

The great ruins are among the most notable in Asia Minor. They cover a large promontory which a wall and a moat separate from the mainland. Archaeologists have been excavating Side since 1947 and intermittently continue to do so.[12]

The colossal theatre complex of the 2nd century is less well-preserved that of

Byzantine
times (5th or 6th century).

The well-preserved city walls provide an entrance to the site through the Hellenistic main gate (Megale Pyle) from the 2nd century BC.

The colonnaded street had marble columns whose remains can be seen near the Roman baths, restored as a museum displaying statues and sarcophagi from the Roman period. The agora includes the remains of the round Tyche and Fortuna temple (2nd century BC), peripteral with twelve columns, in the centre. In later times it was used as a trading centre where pirates sold slaves.

The early Roman Temple of Dionysus is near the theatre. The fountain gracing the entrance is restored. At the left side is a Byzantine Basilica.[8]

Other buildings include three temples and a nymphaeum, a grotto or fountain building of elaborate design.

Excavation teams also found an ancient Greek brothel.[13]

The aqueduct

Aqueduct near Side
Aqueduct bridge near Oymapinar

The Roman aqueduct dates from 2nd half of the 2nd century AD and is 30 km in length. The aqueduct is special because it has an exceptional number of bridges which are still preserved as well as tunnels. This was because the altitude difference between source and city is only 36 m, so to make the gradient as high as possible it was necessary to keep the route as straight and short as possible through the hilly terrain, which entailed more expensive bridges (22 in total) and 16 tunnels 100-2260m long.

It was restored in the first half of the 3rd century, financed by Lollianos Bryonianos from Side according to an inscription.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Side.

Today

The central square of Side with the statue of Atatürk

In 1895,

Cretan Turks moved there.[14][15][16] Today, Side has become a popular holiday
destination as a result of the expansion of the Antalya coastal project and is experiencing a revival.

It was a popular spot for watching the

solar eclipse of March 29, 2006
.

The bustling street called Liman Caddesi connects the town bus station with the square on the seafront, where the statue of

Atatürk is situated.[17]

Notable people

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Side, nisanyanmap.com
  2. ^ Mahalle, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  3. TÜİK
    . Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  4. ^ "Law No. 6360". Official Gazette (in Turkish). 6 December 2012.
  5. ^ "Classification tables of municipalities and their affiliates and local administrative units" (DOC). Official Gazette (in Turkish). 12 September 2010.
  6. ^ "The Ancient Library". Archived from the original on 2007-05-13. Retrieved 2006-11-19.
  7. ^ Pseudo Scylax, Periplous, 101
  8. ^ a b c "Side - History of the City". Archived from the original on 2006-11-14. Retrieved 2006-11-19.
  9. ^ Catholic Encyclopedia, 1907-1912, s.v. 'Sidon'
  10. ^ This section contains text from the Catholic Encyclopedia of 1907-1912, a work in the public domain
  11. ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1
    ), p. 971
  12. ^ "Aspendos - Perge - Side". Retrieved 2006-11-19.
  13. ^ Turkish archaeologist complains after sponsors refuse to fund brothel excavation
  14. ^ [1] From link: In 1895 Turkish people from Crete moved to the ruined town and called it Selimiye.
  15. ^ [2] Archived 2011-05-14 at the Wayback Machine Side Travel Guide
  16. ^ "Side, Turkey". Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2010-12-30. Turkish Riviera - Side
  17. ^ "The town of Side, July 2017". Independent Travellers. independent-travellers.com. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  18. ^ a b Eusebius, Chronography, 81
  19. Radio Free Europe
    . 4 May 2015. Retrieved 2022-06-04.

External links

  • Media related to Side at Wikimedia Commons

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Side". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

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