Side: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 94 - 296 Robinson Club Pamfilya
 This 4-star hotel overlooks a sandy beach on the Turkish Riviera, 5 km from the historic town of Side. It offers full-board accommodation, a large spa… MoreEUR 66 - 366 Royal Dragon Hotel
 This Chinese themed beach resort on the Turkish Riviera features indoor and outdoor pools, an amusement park, bowling alley and a spa. It offers all-i… MoreEUR 25 - 50 Safari Suit Hotel
 A wonderful beach as well as the old city of Side, are only a few steps away from the Safari Suit Hotel. The hotel is in a quiet, pleasant and familia… MoreEUR 106 - 660 Paloma Beach Resort
 This stylish, 4-star hotel is located on the beach in the peaceful area of Antalya. It is just 8 km from Manavgat and offers free public parking.
Roo… MoreEUR 76 - 211 Monachus Park
 Monachus Park is located on the popular resort of Side, which is a beautiful coastal location known for its modern architecture, chic shops and night … MoreEUR 27 - 95 Lale Park
 Lale Park is a seaside guesthouse, offering affordable accommodation and 42 years of hospitality experience close to Temple of Apollo, the Side Museum… MoreEUR 15 - 88 Leda Beach Hotel
 Fusing bright comfort, stylish interiors and an inviting ambience, this attractive, family-run property presents the ideal spot for unwinding and expl… MoreEUR 22 - 30 Lotus Hotel
 Located just 800 metres from the beach, to which free transport is offered, Lotus Hotel is surrounded by the archaeological treasures of the Antalya r… MoreEUR 16 - 84 Sahara Hotel
 On the main road between Side and Manavgat, this family-friendly hotel with outdoor pools is just 10 minutes walk from one of the biggest the beaches … MoreEUR 17 - 52 Sato Hotel
 Şato Hotel offers cosy accommodation along with free Wi-Fi and is located close to Side’s shopping venues and restaurants. Side Beach is a short wa… MoreEUR 41 - 161 Sural Resort Hotel
 Featuring a private beach on the Pamphilian Coast, this 5-star hotel is set in 60,000 m² of gardens and palm trees. Its main restaurant has panoramic… MoreEUR 40 - 140 Sural Saray Hotel
 Sural Saray features an outdoor pool surrounded by a palm tree garden, a disco bar and 4 tennis courts. Located directly on the beach, it is 9 km from… MoreEUR 12 - 35 Ulas Hotel
 Ulas Hotel is located in the small town of Side on the Mediterranean coast. The simply furnished rooms have air conditioning and a balcony. There is a… MoreEUR 58 - 117 Sural Garden Hotel
 Surrounded by a garden with exotic palm trees, Sural Garden is situated 250 metres from the beaches of Side. The hotel offers an outdoor swimming pool… MoreEUR 30 - 165 Side Temple Hotel
 Situated in a central location of Side, this hotel is a short walk to the beach and the town’s main landmarks, combining a relaxed beach holiday wit… MoreEUR 86 - 248 Sensimar Side Resort
 Situated on a sandy beach overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, this luxury resort features spa facilities and an elegant landscaped pool area. It offers… MoreEUR 60 - 920 Sentido Perissia
 This luxury resort is situated on a sandy beach, just 3 km from the centre of Side. It features a spacious pool area, and accommodations with panorami… MoreEUR 20 - 55 Side Doga Pansiyon
 Situated inside an old stone house, Side Doga Pansiyon offers rooms with free Wi-Fi and a TV, just 50 metres from Side’s ancient theatre. Facilities… MoreEUR 48 - 181 La Vita´s Hotel
 Within 500 metres from Mediterranean beaches and 3 km from the seaside town of Side, La Vita offers modern, all-inclusive accommodation. It features a… MoreEUR 37 - 85 Hotel Villa Önemli
 Situated by the sea in the small town of Side, this well-equipped yet intimate hotel sits amid its own fruit and vegetable garden.
Offering a range o… MoreEUR 20 - 60 Beach House Hotel
 Situated in Side’s old town, Beach House Hotel offers rooms with spacious balconies overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Facilities include a private … MoreEUR 75 - 270 Can Garden Hotel Side
 Located on Side’s coast, this garden hotel has a green setting with a variety of facilities, outdoor and water sports activities available, as well … MoreEUR 63 - 222 Can Garden Resort
 Located near the beach of Side, this holiday resort offers an elegant setting with outdoor pools. Traditional Turkish dishes can be enjoyed in the on-… MoreEUR 87 - 800 Barut Hotels Hemera Resort & Spa
 Situated in Side, this 5-star resort is only 200 metres from a sandy beach. It has a landscaped garden with 2 swimming pools and offers guestrooms wit… MoreEUR 45 - 600 Barut Hotels Cennet & Acanthus
 This stylish 4-star accommodation features a private stretch of beach on the Mediterranean Sea. It offers massage facilities, an outdoor swimming pool… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Side: Guide
:This page is about the ancient city Side on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. For other uses of "Side", see Side (disambiguation).
Side (pronounced See-deh) was an ancient maritime city of Pamphylia, located 16 kilometers|km from Seleucia (Pamphylia)|Seleucia. Its current location is on the southern coast near the villages of Manavgat and Selimiye (Antalya)|Selimiye, 75 km from Antalya) in the Antalya Province|province of Antalya in Turkey. It is located on the eastern part of the Pamphylian coast, which lies about 20 km east of the mouth of the Eurymedon River.
Settlers from Cyme (Cumæans) in Aeolia, an ancient district of Asia Minor, founded the city in the seventh century BC. Possessing a good harbor for small-craft boats, Side's natural geography made it the most important place in Pamphylia – the region in the south of Asia Minor between Lycia and Cilicia, from the Mediterranean to Mount Taurus. This location made Side one of the most important trade centers in its time. Today, as in yesteryear, the ancient city of Side is situated on a small north-south peninsula about 1 km long and 400 meters|m across.
History
During the sixth century BC, Side fell under the rule of Lydia, a kingdom in Asia Minor. It gained partial autonomy under Persian Empire|Persian rule after 547 BC. Side minted its own coins starting in the fifth century BC even while under Persian rule.
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great occupied Side without a struggle in 333 BC. Alexander left only a single garrison behind to occupy the city. This occupation, in turn, introduced the people of Side to Hellenistic culture of the Greek Civilization, which flourished from the fourth century BC|fourth century to the first century BC. After Alexander's death, Side fell under the control of one of Alexander's generals, Ptolemy, who declared himself king of Egypt in 305 BC. The Ptolemaic dynasty controlled Side until it was captured by the Seleucid Empire in the second century BC. Yet, despite these occupations, in the following years of the second century BC, Side managed to preserve some autonomy, grew prosperous, and became an important cultural center.
In 190 BC a fleet from the Greek island city-state of Rhodes, supported by Roman Empire|Rome and Pergamon|Pergamum, defeated the Seleucid King Antiochus III the Great|Antiochus the Great's fleet, which was under the command of the fugitive Carthage|Carthagenian general, Hannibal. The defeat of Hannibal and Antiochus the Great meant that Side freed itself from the overlordship of the Seleucid Empire. In the first century BC, the Cilician pirates established their chief naval base and a Slavery|slave-trade center at Side.
Romans
Later the Roman general Pompey defeated these brigands in 67 BC, bringing Side under the control of the Roman Empire. Side's peak period started around 2C BC when it established and maintained a good working relationsship with the Roman Empire.
Emperor Augustus reformed the state administration and placed Pamphylia and Side in the Roman province of Galatia in 25 BC. Side began another prosperous period as a commercial center in Asia Minor. This period would last well into the third century AD. Side established itself as a slave-trading center in the Mediterranean. Its large commercial fleet engaged in acts of piracy. Wealthy merchants paid for such tributes as public works, monuments, and competitions as well as the games and gladiator fights. The significance of this period for Side is evident in its ruins today. Most of the present-day ruins found in Side date from this period of prosperity.
Decline
Side began to steady decline from the fourth century on. Even defensive walls could not stop successive invasions from highlanders from the Taurus Mountains. During the fifth century|fifth and sixth century|sixth centuries, Side was the seat of the Bishopric of Eastern Pamphylia. Arab fleets, nevertheless, raided and burned Side during the seventh century, contributing to its steady decline. The combination of earthquakes, Christian zealots and Arab raids,left the site was completely abandoned completely abandomed by the 10th century.
In the twelfth 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 Jewish population in early Byzantine Empire|Byzantine times. However, Side was abandoned again after being sacked. Its population moved to Antalya and Side became known as Eski Adalia or Old Antalya and was buried.
Ruins
The great ruins are among the most notable in Asia Minor. They cover a large promontory where a wall and a mote separate it from the mainland. During medieval times, the wall and mote were repaired and the promontory houses a wealth of structures. There are colossal ruins of a theater complex 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 as in the usual Greek fashion more typical of Asia Minor. The theater is less well preserved than the Aspendos theater, but it is almost as large, seating 15,000 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.
The well preserved city walls provide an entrance to the site through the main gate of the ancient city, although gate is badly damaged. Next comes the colonnaded street although the marble columns once there do not exist anymore. All that remains is a few broken stubs near the old Roman baths. The street leads to the a public bath restored as a museum displaying Roman period statues and sarcophagi. Next is the agora where pirates sold slaves. The current remains of the theatre, which was used as gladiator fights and later as a church, and the monumental gate date back to the 2nd Century. The early Roman Temple of Dionysius is near the theater. The fountain gracing the entrance is restored. At the left side are the remains of a Byzantine Basilica. A pubic bath has 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 intermitently continue to do so.
Today
Today Side is a popular vacation destination.
It was a favourite spot for watching the Solar eclipse of 2006 March 29|solar eclipse of March 29, 2006.
See also
Manavgat Waterfall
Oymapinar Dam
Philip of Side
Sidetic language
Saint Probus of Side
Notes
External links
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Side". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.