Side's vast sandy beaches gently shelve into the
warm, clear sea
.To the west of the peninsular; the beach stretches for about 10
km and to the east, the sands are emptier and stretch all the way
to Alanya. Water sports abound in high season including para
sailing and wind surfing and the further from the town you go the
quieter the beach becomes. Side was founded by the citizenry of
kyme,
one of the cities of aiole north of Izmir
in the Aegean. The finds duggest the history of the town extends
back to the 7th Century BC. Side has meant "the
pomegranate". Until the roman imperial rule,
pomegranate was the symbol used on the coinage issued in Side. The
addluent period of the city of city of Side is
around 2nd and 1st Centuries BC when it had been
established and maintained good relations with the Roman
Emperi. This period continues until mid-3 th century AD. The
most impressive of the structures to be seen in
town have been constructed during the 4th Century AD. But
recovered in 5th Century AD as it became a clerical center. The
last massive settlement to Side has been found
in1895 when Turkish immigrants from Crete were settled in
the town. this settlement is the nucleus of the present
town. The magnificent theater of the ancient city, built
on colonnaded arches, is the largest in the whole area.
Other monuments include the agora, the Apollo Temple,
which is situated near the sea, a fountain and necropolis.
The extensive Roman baths now a museum, houses one of the
Turkey's finest archaeological collections.
In the Pamphlyian
Seleucia (Bucaksihlar),
15 km northeast of Side, are the remains (in good
condition) of the Roman baths, temples, churches, a
mausoleum, theatre and agora.
SIDE MUSEUM
Side Museum contains finds
recovered in excavations held in the region since
1940. There are statuary, architectonic parts, altars,
epitaphs and other inscriptions, reliefs and columns
and smaller artifacts such as incense burners,
teardrop bottles, candelabra. Outstanding works among
the inventory are the statues of Nike, Heracles,
Hermes: the three maidens sculpture, the reliefs
depicting the birth of Zeus and the Chastisment
of Xion and the sarchophagus with a depiction
of Eros.
SORGUN
The road passing in front of
the Tourist information bureau reaches the
woods a little further away. This is a broad woodland
of 15 acres called Sorgun. At the seaside front
of this territory there are numerous
facilities:three-star, four-star, five-star hotels,
holiday villages and a camping.
TITREYEN GOL
Continue east from Sorgun and
after a while, you will be in the most popular holiday
center of Side. The region situated between the
"lake" and the sea contains many facilities.
Titreyen Gol is not in
reality an actual lake. It is an arm of the Manavgat
stream swollen adn spread to look like a lake, before
it empties its waters to the sea. The shuddering look
of the surface of the "lake" with the impact
of the wind gave its name,"tityen"
shuddering lake. The region is bound by pinewoods.
