When you turn South at the 75 th km. of Antalya - Alanya main road a nice avenue winding through hotels and hauses for about 3 km will lead you to Side, the furthest city in the east of historical Pamphylia. Situated on a peninsula about 1000 m long and 400 m. wide, it fulfilled its duty as a commercial port.Naturally, Side used to be one of the most important trade centers in the antiquity and now it is one of the most popular holiday resort in Turkey.
According to Strabon the ancient geographer, side was first established in the 7 th cen. B.C. as a trade colony of the Aegean city Kyme near İzmir But the merchants took up the local language, Side tan the name "Side" meant pomegranate, the fruit symbolizing abundance and fertility.
Like the other Pamphylian cities in general, Side was ruled by Lydia in the sixth cent. B.C. and Persia after 547 B.C. The coins minted in here prove that Side had at least an internal independence.
Alexander the Great conquered Side in the first year of the great campaign on Asia in 334 B.C. and was introduced to Hellenistic culture. After his death the empire was shared by generals. The Southern Turkey, including Side changed hands quite often , especially between the Ptolemaic dynasty of Egypt ( 3 rd cent B.C ) and the Seleucid dynasty of Syria ( 2 nd cent B.C ) after the apameia peace agreement between the Romans and thedefeated Syrian kingdom, but Pergama could not gain a complete control over Side. King Attalos of Pergama founded a new city, Attaleia ( Antalya ) as a commercial rival to Side and others on the South coast. At the turn of century Side was a slave-trade center in the hends of Pirates. It was only the Romans who stopped piracy on the eastern Mediterranean and let the southern Anatolian cities in ( Cilicia, Pamphylia and Lycia ) prosper again in peace and safety 78 B.C.
Pamphylia was attached to the provice of Galatia by emperor Augustus in 25 B.C. when all the provinces in the Roman empire were re-organised. Side lived its second birth and wealthy period until 3 rt cend. A.D as a Pamphylian city that was placed sometimes in Galatia, sometimes in Lycia. Especially its active role in the slave trade enabled this semiindependent city to gain wealth and most of the structures in ruins at present were built during this period of time. Side felt the necessity of repairing the defensive walls in the second half of 3 rd cend. A.D because of the successive attacks by the highlanders from the north. Furthermore, they built an inner wall right through the city in 4 th cent A.D. Unfortunately these precautions were not enough to secure those great days again and Side started declining.

SİDE IN MYTHOLOGY

One day, Accordinkes to the Anatolion Mythology, The God Taurus takes her youngest daughter Side, who had been The Goddes of nature and abundance, to the valley of the Rıver Manauwa (Manavgat) for picking up flowers and making wreaths with the Nymphes (water-fairies) While picking up flowers and dancing with the Nymphes, Side, suddenly sees a tree with thin branches having shiny leaves and colourful flowers and breaks off a branch, to take it to her little daugther. As she breaks the branch off it starts bleeding. Accually, Side realizes that the tree is not a real one it is a Nymphe who has escaped from some wicked human beings and taken the shape of a tree. She is so sorry and so scared that she wants to go away, but she can't. She is stuck and she feels that her feet are bried in ground. Then her body changes into a from of a tree. The Nymphes are sad and they start crying. The Nymphes are sad and they start crying. The fresh roots of Side are watered with the of Nymphes. Side says that it was her fault and ask the Nymphes to take a message to her little daugher The message is as follows; From now on I'll be the symbol of nature, life and abundance with my blood-red rich fruit, I ask you to take my daughter here from time to time, to play in my shade. And warn her not to pick flowers and never damage trees on earth; because any of those trees could be a Goddes. This is why the peninsula of Side full of pomegranate trees.