The holiday town of Side sits beside the blue Mediterranean, with the remnants of its Roman history scattered throughout the town. The beaches in and around town are what bring most tourists here these days, but for those who fancy a bit more history in their holiday there are plenty of historic sightseeing attractions as well. The Temple of Athena is beautifully placed on the harbour with the standing columns majestically looking out to sea. If you climb to the top tier of seating in the vast Roman Theatre at the other end of town, though, you'll get a magnificent view of the stately Taurus Mountains.
More than anything else, Side is a place to relax and enjoy the sunshine. And although the beaches in town do get packed during the summer, if you've got your own transport you can easily explore many lesser-visited strips of sand within easy reach.
1 Temples of Apollo and Athena
By 1000 BC Side had its first settlement. But it was in the 7th or 6th centuries BC when Greek settlers established a colony and built a harbour here, and the town began to prosper. During the Roman era this was an important commercial centre and it was only when the harbour began to silt up that the town was eventually abandoned (between the 7th and 9th centuries AD). At the tip of Side's peninsula are the remains of the ancient town's two principal temples, dedicated to Athena and Apollo. Although they are in no way complete, they have a picturesque location looking over the Mediterranean and are especially atmospheric in the evening when the ruins are lit-up.
Accomodation: Where to Stay in Side - TripAdvisor.com
2 Theatre
Side's theatre was the largest in ancient Pamphylia and could accommodate an audience of 15,000 in its 49 rows of seating. Although several of the supporting arches have collapsed, bringing down part of the auditorium, this is still a remarkable surviving example of Roman architectural skill. If you look at the stage walls you can see the still-intact reliefs depicting faces and figures. Just behind the theatre is the Agora, which originally would have been surrounded by colonnades filled with shops. Beside the Agora are the remnants of the Temple of Tyche (the goddess of fortune).
Location: Liman Caddesi
3 Side Museum
Side Museum utilises the old Roman Bathhouse to display its collection. Although the museum is rather small, the exhibits of exquisite Hellenistic and Roman statuary brought from sites within Side and around the area are worth a quick look.
Location: Liman Caddesi
4 East Beach
These days Side is more about the sun and the sand than its ancient history. In summer,European travellers flock to the town to flop out on the sand of the many surrounding beaches. The entire coastline here is scattered with inviting strips of sand but the closest, most popular beach within town limits is East Beach. Here you'll find water-sports galore as well as sun umbrellas, restaurants and anything else you may need to spend a full day on the beach.
Location: Barbaros Caddesi
5 State Agora
The State Agora is an imposing Roman complex. On its east side an originally two-storied building is thought to have functioned as a library. In a columned niche you can still see a figure of Nemesis, the goddess of fate.
Location: Barbaros Caddesi
6 Byzantine Churches
Between the State Agora and the eastern old town walls you can see the extensive ruins of theByzantine bishop's palace, principal and baptistery. These early Christian buildings date from between the 5th to 10th centuries.
Location: Divan Yolu Caddesi
7 Seleukeia
The fine remains of the Seleukid town of Seuleukeia lie above the village of Bucak Seyler (reached from Side via the Manavgat Waterfalls). Little is known of its history and despite the remains its exact identity is still not certain. Excavations here during the 1970s unearthed a large baths complex, a well-preserved agora with surviving storerooms, colonnades and shop rows, aByzantine church, and an odeon with a mosaic of Orpheus.
8 Manavgat Waterfalls (Manavgat Selalesi)
The Manavgat Waterfalls are upon the Manavgat River, which rises in the Seytan Mountain Range of the Taurus Mountains. Set amid a landscaped garden, the area is perfect for picnics and you can walk up to the falls on a network of gangways to get close-up views. The thunderous roar of the water is a dramatic soundtrack to a visit.
Location: 13 km northeast of Side
9 Selge
High up in the Taurus Mountains, about 60 km north of Aspendos, is the village of Altınkaya Köyü and the ruins of Selge. It's said that the blind prophet Kalchas of the Trojan War (along with the rest of his army) founded the town. Until the Roman period the settlement's remote location protected the town from foreign rule yet trade flourished thanks to good relations with the towns of Pamphylia. The extensive ruins contain many interesting remains, but the principal attractions are the Roman theatre with its 10,000 seats and the adjacent stadium. Some distance to the southwest is the remains of the Temple of Zeus and Temple of Artemis. And scattered further east are the ruins of the Agora.
10 Cevizle
Close to the town of Cevizli, are the caves of the Düdencik Magarası. This is the deepest cave network in Turkey tunnelling 330 m into the earth. One of the underground rivers here emerges as a karst spring near Pamukluk Köprüsü.
11 Köprülü Canyon
About 7 km east of Aspendos, a long Seljuk bridge with Roman foundations humpbacks over the Körülü River. Further north, behind the village of Alabalık, the river narrows marking the point where the mountainous and impressive Köprülü Canyon National Park begins. There are hiking, trekking and rafting opportunities in the area.
12 Akseki
The Düdensuyu Magarası cave complex is near the village of Akseki, and visitors can tour a number of underground lakes with a local guide. The best way to reach the caves is with a cross-country vehicle via a scenic route from Manavgat.
No comments:
Post a Comment