Side

Side (pron. See – deh) means ‘pomegranate’ in the local Luwian language, which dates back to the Bronze age, so the site maybe very old indeed. Certainly its location on the sea and closeness to the Manavgat River, its fertile, flat land and perfect defensive peninsula would have attracted anyone who had more than the intelligence of the fruit from which the city received its name. One can only assume that pomegranate fruit trees were plentiful in the area, and still today Turkey is filled with pomegranate orchards.

Side is a small peninsula and its perfect location meant it was also a harbour that was used for centuries. In fact it is still used as a harbour today, but only for leisure purposes. Sea food was naturally a staple in their diet, and obviously there were plenty of pomegranates to be had – fruit, local bread and fish would be enough for most of the nutrition needed in any given population.

Colonists from western Anatolia arrived in Side in the middle of the 7th Century BC, but there was already a local population existing on the site, therefore Side existed as a settlement long before the 7th Century BC. This takes the city back into the Bronze Age (before 800 BC) and, although several places have been found in Turkey that shatter preconceived notions about settlements, Side still remains one of the oldest sites in Turkey.

The colonisers of the 7th Century BC were apparently of Greek origin and came from Kyme, near Pergamum. It was the Greeks who built a city on the site, but they didn’t take control of the area. Instead, the colonisers blended in with the local population and it seems the local Luwian language, which is now extinct, became the dominant tongue as inscriptions found from the 3rd to 2nd centuries BC are written in the local language and not Greek. The language was also unique to Side and doesn’t seem to appear in any other place in Pamphylia, which means it was very focused on a small area. This suggests the local population were fully self-sufficient and required little trade from outsiders, and certainly not much immigration took place. It also implies that if the language was only in existence in the local area then the population developed independently for thousands of years without outside influences. The fact that the Greek settlers did not promote their own language on the site shows the inhabitants had a considerable power base, but also the economy probably functioned so well that there was no need to imbue any influence over it.

In the 4th Century BC Side was controlled by the Kingdom of Lydia and then the Persians, until Alexander the Great stormed through Asia Minor and took control of almost the entire area. Alexander, who took Side without any force, left a garrison within its walls and it quickly became one of the biggest coin minting cities anywhere in the world. As with most places, the death of Alexander saw power struggles between his Hellenistic generals across Asia Minor, and Side was no exception. First Seleucus reigned, followed by the Ptolemaic dynasty.

In 190 BC, one of the great clashes of east and west occurred off the coast of Side. The Syrian King, Antiochos III, challenged the might of the Roman navy and lost, and Side was then under control of the Kingdom of Pergamum, a treaty being signed in 188 BC with Side once again being given status as an independent city. Side then flourished and became one of the most economically viable cities in the whole region, as well as bolstering its naval capabilities.

In the 1st century BC Side, strangely, became an active centre for piracy, which the inhabitants seemed to have allowed to happen. Much illegal trade occurred and slaves were sold in the city and beyond. The Romans, however, weren’t too impressed with the goings on at Side and they defeated and ousted all the piracy in the city. Punishment was rather weak by Roman standards, and the city only lost its metropolis status. By 25 AD Side officially became a Roman city.

Side flourished once again in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, and also had its metropolis status revived with many important figures residing there, including state governors and officers. The city then expanded and many new buildings were erected, but by the end of the 3rd century attacks by tribes from the Toros mountains became frequent, and piracy once again flourished. Rome itself was undergoing internal strife and the beginnings of the breakdown of the empire due to continuous assassinations and civil wars, and it appears that the attacks were well orchestrated and maintained while the Romans appeared too preoccupied elsewhere.

By the middle of the 4th century, however, with relative stability in the Roman empire, Side’s outer walls were repaired, but the city was also divided into two by the building of new walls. It was during this time that the theatre and agora were built. Side became a supply hub for the Romans during the war with Persia, and became the base for the Roman fleet, but by the end of the century Side lost most of its economic wealth and became a Christian city.

By the 5th century, Side became the episcopate of the church for the region and flourished into the sixth century. The old Hellenistic walls were reinforced and more building projects were under way. From the 7th century, all the way up until the 10th century, the city was constantly raided by Arab forces, and the downfall of the city saw many of its inhabitants migrate to Attaleia (modern-day Antalya) during the 12th century.

Side was practically abandoned and no one settled there during the reign of both the Seljuk Turks or the Ottoman Empire, but by 1895 the ancient city became a modern village. Today Side is the size of a large modern village, and excavations to unravel its history began in 1947.

Side is now a holiday resort, and its attraction is not hard to fathom. Perfect weather and a stunning harbour are mixed with hundreds of fine dining restaurants and tourist shops. And everywhere one wanders are the remnants of the once great city. The temples of Athena and Apollo sit near the harbour, and the theatre, still in excellent condition, is located at the entrance to the modern village. The rest of the ancient city is awash with ruins and buildings.

By the time I reached Side I was absolutely knackered after the hectic trip over the previous six days, and Side was archaeological site number eleven on my itinerary. That meant almost two sites per day plus around 1000km driving up to this point. Thus two full nights and a day’s rest was taken, although of course that was a day’s rest from driving, not exploring all the ruins! It would mark the easternmost point of my trip, and two days later I would start heading back west. Side is a magical place with very friendly inhabitants, although most of them just want to extract money from you in some way or another, either by eating food from the very expensive restaurants, or buying one of the millions of gifts on offer. I highly recommend going there out of season, as I always do, for Side is jam packed in the summer time with Turkish tourists, and prices are astronomical even by Turkish standards. I arrived in Side on the afternoon of the 16th March 2015, and left on the morning of the 18th. The weather was glorious, the food great, and the accommodation first rate, with a great deal on the room since the hotel was practically empty. I could have stayed there all week but, alas, more amazing adventures lay ahead…

 

References:

Atila, I Akan. Perge, Aspendos, Side, new edition, 2014. Guney Kartpostal, Antalya

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2010/apr/10/side-turkey-beach-village-archaeology

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/go/med/Side/

http://www.ancient.eu/Side/

http://asiaminorcoins.com/aiolis.html

http://www.turkeyforyou.com/turkey_side_history

http://www.historvius.com/side-ruins-and-museum-1783/

http://www.allaboutturkey.com/side.htm