Side (Turkey) – the most detailed information about the city with photos. The main attractions of Side with a description, guides and cards.
Contents
City Side (Turkey)
Side is a city in the south-west of Turkey in the region of Antalya. it popular family resort on the Mediterranean coast with stunning greek and roman ruins. Side is the main the city and port of ancient Pamphylia with a huge historical and cultural heritage, great beaches and warm sea.
- Geography and climate
- Best time to visit
- Practical information
- Story
- How to get there
- Shopping and shopping
- Food and drink
- sights
- Video
- Maps and guides
- Comments and reviews
Geography and climate
Side is located on the east coast of the historic region. Pamphylia. The ancient city is located on a small peninsula, length which is less than one and a half kilometers across. Climate – subtropical Mediterranean. Summer is hot and dry, winter is mild and rainy. The sea warms in summer to 26-28 ° C. You can swim with May to October.
Distance to some cities: Antalya – 65 km, Ankara – 615 km, Istanbul – 790 km, Konya – 300 km.
Antique Side
Best time to visit
The best time to visit is from May to September. Most comfortable weather for a beach holiday in june and september when not so hot. Sea in June around 24 ° C, average air temperature about 30 ° C. In September, the sea is a couple degrees warmer.
Practical information
- The population is more than 10,000 people.
- The language is Turkish.
- The currency is Turkish Lira.
- Visa – for up to 60 days it is enough to have a passport whose actions are more than four months from the date of entry into Turkey
- Time – UTC +2, in summer +3.
Sea in Side
Side beaches
Side has two large beaches located on the east and the western side of the peninsula, as well as a small cozy sandy bay in the most ancient city. There are many in the west. hotels, while the eastern beach contains ancient ruins and here less people.
So Side was in Antiquity
Story
Side was founded by Greek immigrants in the 7th century BC. Interestingly, the Greeks met the local population, which said in a language called Sedetsk. Anatolian dialect title city translates as “pomegranate”. Side quickly became one of most important cities of Pamphylia and a major port.
In the 5th century BC Side belonged to the Persians. In the 4th century BC the city surrendered to Alexander of Macedon without a fight. Later they owned representatives of the Ptolemies and Seleucids. In the 2nd century BC Side went into the composition of the kingdom of Pergamon, which was then conquered Rome
Antique Ruins of Side
In the Roman period, Side achieved its highest peak. In the 1st century before AD the city was captured by pirates who made it their base and the center of the slave trade. In 67 BC. er roman troops under Pompey’s command dealt with the pirates. Although the slave market is all remained equal.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, Side became part of Byzantium. AT 7 century Arabs captured and burned the city. By the 8th century, Side was abandoned. In the 10th century, a strong earthquake significantly damaged the ancient the buildings. Even in the first half of the 20th century there was a small fishing village. Everything changed in the 60s of the 20th century, when excavated ancient ruins. Side has become a popular vacation spot and open-air museum.
Ruins of Side
How to get there
The nearest airport is Antalya. In order to to get to Side by bus first you need to get to the bus station of the city of Manavgat. Then you can take the minibuses (dolmuş) from center of Manavgat or bus 143T. Side is conveniently located 2 km from the main motorway of the Turkish Mediterranean.
Shopping and shopping
In ancient Side, apart from hotels and ruins, there is a huge number of shops offering souvenirs, sweets, traditional Turkish goods, a huge selection of clothes and shoes. Sure to bargain, as the price of the goods is usually significantly overstated. Most traders are real polyglots and understand Russian. The cost of goods can be safely reduced immediately by half, so that when bargaining get the best price. Euros are easy to pay here. dollars.
Since Side is a popular resort, it’s better for bargains. visit the Manavgat market or shopping center.
Antique Theater
Food and drink
Side is popular among tourists from Germany, England, Scandinavia, so the cost of a check in a restaurant here is higher than the average for Antalya. From the food we recommend to try fish and seafood. If a move away from the ancient city can be significantly to save.
sights
The most important attraction of Side is the antique a city that is pedestrian. Here among the hotels and shops the ruins of ancient fortifications, columns and buildings are scattered. Most famous buildings of ancient Side: the theater, the temple of Athena and Apollo, Agora, the gate of Vespasian.
The ancient city was surrounded by walls. Building Urban fortifications were begun in the 2nd century BC. Most of them preserved in the eastern part of Side. From the bay defensive the structure did not stand the test of time. Here at sea and on Coast can be seen fragments of ancient walls and columns.
Theater
Theater – a grand structure of antiquity, which was the largest in ancient Pamphylia among similar buildings. He fit over 15,000 spectators and had 49 rows of seats. On the walls to our time preserved reliefs. Although some columns collapsed, the theater is a wonderful example of Roman architecture, which is still used for its intended purpose.
Temple of Apollo and Athens
The Temple of Apollo and Athena is one of the symbols of Side. These antique the buildings were erected in the 2nd century AD and located near the the sea at the top of the peninsula. Until our time from the temple remained parts of columns and facade. If you wander around the neighborhood, you can see some interesting ruins.
We recommend to visit these ruins at sunset.
Gates of Vespasian
Vespasian’s Gate – arched gate in the northern part of the ancient cities built in the 1st century AD in honor of the arrival of the Roman Emperor Vespasian. Unfortunately, the ancient construction is pretty badly damaged, but even now it amazes with its monumentality.
Agora
Agora – an impressive Roman complex, which was the center Antique Side. Here you can see the remains of the colonnade of the street, ancient buildings and fountain that adorned the roman city. East the city walls and the early Christian Byzantine are located structures.
Seleucia
Romantic antique ruins are located not far from Side. Seleucia. Remains of ancient buildings scattered in the picturesque pine the forest.
Interestingly, little is known about Seleucia. Some scientists believe that this is the city of Lirba. The excavations here were found terms, well-preserved agora with warehouses and colonnades, Byzantine church. On the way here you can see Roman aqueduct, which previously supplied water to Side.
Side Museum
All the most interesting archaeological finds are stored in the local the museum.
Video
Maps and guides
City map
