The ancient city of Side is located beneath the present-day Selimiye, on the Turkish Riviera. The city lies between the cities of Antalya and Alanya in the district of Manavgat, which belongs to the Turkish province of Antalya. Side was first settled 3500 years ago and was an important port city in the Pamphylian region during antiquity, as this landscape on the central south coast was called in ancient times. Many structures from the ancient port city have been preserved.
Ancient Side is situated on a flat peninsula with harbor facilities at its tip. The church historian Eusebius (4th century) dates the founding of the city to 1405 BC, while ancient tradition suggests that Side was newly founded around the 7th century BC from the Aeolian city of Cumae. The city became very significant for a time and minted its own coins, often bearing a pomegranate as a symbol. In the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, Side was considered a focal point of piracy. The most significant ruins date back to the Roman period, the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Other important structures were built when Side became a bishopric in the 5th or 6th century. The city was probably abandoned in the 10th century. An earthquake in the 12th century finally destroyed many of the remaining structures. Side was supplied with drinking water from the 30-kilometer distant Manavgat River via aqueducts. Remains of the aqueducts can still be seen at various locations.
The language of ancient Side was an Anatolian language called Sidetic, in addition to the language of the Greek colonizers. Sidetic seems to have become extinct before the birth of Christ. It is reported that the Greeks from Cumae adopted the language (Arrian, Anabasis). Side means pomegranate in both Greek and Sidetic.
Turkish refugees from Crete founded the fishing village of Selimiye on the southern half of the abandoned ancient city of Side in 1895. The first excavations began in 1947 and continue to this day. The fishing village was discovered as a seaside resort in the 1970s and has since experienced a continuous tourist boom, like many places on the Turkish Riviera. Today, the village of Selimiye covers the southern part of ancient Side and forms the center of Side. In this densely populated area, only a few ancient buildings remain, such as the harbor baths and the Great Baths. The northeastern part of the ancient city area is covered by a dune. Five columns from the Apollo Temple at the harbor have been re-erected and, due to their exposed location, form a popular photo motif. Extensive sandy beaches with hotel complexes lie on either side of the peninsula.
The gently sloping sea is excellent for snorkeling. A special attraction is observing the numerous sea turtles near the beach west of Side.
Some significant ruins of ancient Side have been preserved, the most important of which include:
- Theater for about 20,000 spectators
- Nymphaeum
- Aqueducts
- Agora
- State Agora (Library)
- Great Baths
- Harbor Baths
- Columned streets
- City walls
- Apollo/Artemis Temple, later a Byzantine church was built inside
- Basilica and Bishop's Palace
- Side Museum in the Agora Baths