Charming Old Town With Stunning Night View
📍Old Town Of Side
The heart of Side is its charming old town, where you can wander through narrow streets lined with historic buildings, browse boutique shops, and sample delicious local cuisine.
With its 3,500 years of history, Side's old town will amaze you with ancient ruins from Roman and Byzantine times. These include:
Commercial Agora: The cultural and economic center of the city and a popular meeting place during the Roman period. It's located next to the ancient theater and houses a lot of ruins, such as the temple of Tyche, and a well preserved market street.
State Agora: Southeast of the Commercial Agora are the remains of the second-century State Agora, that was reserved for the elite circles in the city.
Monumental Fountain (Nymphaeum): Near the outer city walls, you can find part of the Roman aqueducts dating from the 2nd century AD.
Roman Baths: The Roman Baths opposite the Commercial Agora probably date back to the 5th century. Since 1962, it has served as the Side Museum.
City Walls: Construction of the once six-kilometer-long city wall began in the late first century. It served to protect the city and some of it can still be visited today.
City Gate: Located near the Nymphaeum, the large main gate was first built as a free-standing structure and only later integrated into the city wall.
Colonnaded Road: A marble-paved street framed by columns that once led from the city gate to the old city center. Today, remains of the columns with original mosaics can still be seen and are a very popular photo motif.
South Basilica: This basilica was built right next to the two main Roman temples in the city, which were later incorporated into the atrium of the Byzantine church.
Monumental Gate: It was built on the Commercial Agora. Today, only the foundation walls are preserved.
Vespasian Monument & Gate: A fountain was erected next to the inner city gate in honor of the Roman Emperor, Vespasian.
Temple of Dionysus: Remains of the early Roman temple dedicated to the god of wine near the ancient theater.
Temple of Men: Along Barbaros Caddesi, you will find remains of a temple that was dedicated to Men, an Anatolian deity of the Moon.
In conclusion, Side Old Town is surely a hidden gem lying in wait for the tourists to explore, so keep it on your places to visit when you happen to go to Türkiye in future!
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