monuments and temples

Side is one of the most famous ancient cities in Turkey. The peninsula of Side was already around 1000 BC. settled. In the 7th/6th century B.C. Colonists from Kyme in western Asia Minor settled here.

A famous port city was born: hundreds of ships could be handled daily in the docks and on the quays that flanked the peninsula. The city experienced its heyday under Roman rule. The slow silting up of the port and the fall of the Roman Empire also led to the decline of the city. Today Side is one of the most popular holiday resorts in southern Turkey. Not least because of its ancient ruins, the beautiful sandy beaches and the many shops. Endless sandy beaches stretch along the coast to the east and west of Side. Small, independent suburbs such as Gündogdu, Çolakli, Kumköy, Sorgun or Titreyengöl emerged with the development of tourism.

Among the most important and impressive sights are the agores (marketplaces, cultural centers) that testify to the city's former glory, and the two temples that lie side by side at the southern point of the peninsula.

One of the two temples was dedicated to Athena, the other probably to Apollon. Built in the 2nd century AD on Hellenic foundations, the amphitheater is the only theater of this type in Anatolia. It was the largest in Pamphylia and could seat 10.000 spectators. In the 5th and 6th centuries it was used as a church. Another attraction is the 40 x 50 m large bath on the columned street, which today serves as a museum. Another monumental structure is the aqueduct that once brought water to Side from a distance of 30 km.