Side

They were supposed to set up Side approx. 6th century. p.n.e. Eolian Greeks from the colony of Cyma on the coast of the Aegean Sea, near Pergamon. Over time, a new language developed in the settlement, which was unique in Pamphylia, but it is believed, that it was born out of the confusion of Greek and the language of the peoples who inhabited these areas before the arrival of the colonists. This language appeared at the turn of the 5th and 4th centuries. p.n.e. on coins minted in the city. Some do, that the fact of speaking in a language other than Greek in Si-de proves the weakness of the city, whose inhabitants had to adopt the dialects of the local natives. Anyway, Side had grown in importance anyway, ever since its inhabitants began to trade slaves on a massive scale, working with Egyptian Alexandria.

The first Greek inscription, found among the ruins of the city, comes from 300 r. p.n.e., and on coins this language appeared in the next century. Just like other cities in the region, Side fell in the 6th century. p.n.e. Persia, then to Alexander the Great (2. half. 4th c. p.n.e.), My Ptolemy, and then the Seleucids and finally the Romans. The latter left the city with limited autonomy from the very beginning, allowing suspicious interests related to the slave trade, and for a time, Side was even the main pirate base, thus becoming notorious. W IV w. the city began to decline, and the Arabs were eager to help. Residents tried to somehow defend themselves against them, building new walls, but the earthquake in the 10th century. forced them to leave Side. The city revived only during the Ottoman Empire and at its end, that is, at the beginning of the 20th century. It was then that Greek-speaking Turks came from Crete, who founded a small settlement here. Several families probably still live off fishing, but the vast majority of them live from tourism.

Drive, orientation, connections

Side's small bus station is not that important, for any buses to come to him (especially out of season), therefore probably – coming from the west (according to our itinerary from Aspendos), or from the east – Whether you like it or not, we will land at the train station in the town of Manavgat. Only taxi drivers lurk here, who convince us, that there is actually no other way to reach Side, as soon as with them (ok. 5 km, 10 USD). But the reader armed with this article will come to Side too 0,7 USD. After leaving the station, turn left and come to the main thoroughfare of Alanya – Antalya. After crossing to the other side, keep going straight, until we see a cluster of houses on the left and a hill on the right (after approx. 1 km). One of the main intersections in Manavgata is located here. Across the street, perpendicular to the road, we came, we notice on our left hand a dolmuszów stop. Every ok. 15 min. the dolmus going to Side stops here (0,7 USD, 15 min). On the way, let's pay attention to the remains of the aqueduct that used to bring water to the ancient city.

Station, or rather, the bus stop is to the east of the town center, where we will get by the only road leading there, the ancient columned street, today called Side Cad. To be on it, we head towards the old defensive walls visible from the station. The street is approx. 300 m. At its end, right in front of the ancient theater, we pass a small museum on the right, then we will walk through the ancient gate and in a moment, following the entrance to the theater, we come to a small square, from where the dolmus buses to Manavgat and a tractor with colorful wagons depart (on the otogari back). The main street of the town opens in front of us – Liman Cad., which leads straight to the sea (a small marina), to pay towards called Ataturk Meydani (of course there is a monument to him there). The streets of Side cross mostly at right angles and orientation in the town is not a big problem.

In summer, we will take you directly to Antalya from the bus station, Subject, Ankara and even Istanbul, but in the off-season we only get out of here via Manavgat, which we will reach by dolmusz (0,7 USD) from the square in front of the theater, at the eastern end of Liman Cad. From Manavgat to Alanya or Antalya you can get not only by minibus or by bus, but also a special bus provided by the city authorities (not very comfortable). Wanting to get to Konya, we have to take a bus from Antalya at the station in Manavgat.

Accommodation

Admittedly, the accommodation base in Side is very well developed, but the town is one of the most expensive places in all of Turkey, hence, it is difficult to find anything really cheap in the season. Offers included in the "cheap hotels” however, they are not very dissuasive in terms of costs, unless the owner judges us rich. Higher standard hotels are not mentioned here many (actually only one), because there are a lot of them here and they are all similar in terms of comfort, and prices.

Gastronomy

Gastronomy, like everything in Side, overall it is expensive. Liman Cad. and the vicinity on the seashore are among the highest prices. Wanting to find something cheaper, one should venture into small ones, side streets, which unfortunately in Side as a medicine. Especially thrifty people will probably want to feed on their own, but grocery stores are also expensive in Side, although of course it will always be cheaper than in the apartment. The only really cheap place is Izmir Borekcisi, where, admittedly, we will not eat a normal dinner, but we will be satisfied with warm dumplings.