Side became a settlement in the 19th century BC. In the 19th century BC, it came under the rule of
the Kingdomof Lydia along with all of Pamfilya, and came under persian rule after the fall of the Kingdom of Lydia in 547/46. The city, which maintained its freedom to some extent in this day and age, issued coins in its name. Side, which opened its doors to the king of Macedonia without any resistance during alexander the
great'sanatolian expedition (334 BC), later became one of the great coin printing centers established by Alexander. Side, which changed hands continuously between
the Hellenistic period kingdoms after Alexander's death, was dominated by
the Ptolemaiosin the 3rd century BC and
the Seleukos in 215-189 BC. The city had mostly friendly relations with
Antiokhos III, provided the support of the Kingdom of
Syria,Bergamaand
Rhodes kingdoms, and stood with the Side navy and
the Seleukosin its war against the Romans.
At the end of this war, when the Seleukos succumbed, it was given to Pamfilya and, by the way, the Kingdom of Side de Bergama according to the peace of Apameia, which was made in 188 BC. Side, by contrast, regained its independence after a while and experienced one of the brightest periods in history.
The sending of Antiokhos VII,who took the Syrian throne in 138 BC and later received the nickname "Sidetes", to Side for studying in his youth is an indication of how important the city is in the Eastern Mediterranean. This bright period of the city did not last long. Piracy, which began in the 1st century BC in pisidya and mountainous Kilica regions, also jumped into Pamphilia and therefore Side, and the Side people who could not cope with pirates had to open their ports and markets to them. Finally, in 78 BC, after the Roman consul Publius Serviliuscleared the region of pirates, Side de Pamphilia was connected to the Roman Empire,as were other cities. After 25 BC, Augustus made the Pamfilya region a province run directly by an officer directly affiliated with him. After this date, Side is a city in the province of Rome. Side, which experienced a bright period in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, looks like a Christian city that became poorer in the 19th century. The city, which experienced its third and last brightest time in the V. and VI centuries, became the capital of the Metropolitan Area of East Pamphilia. Byzantine emperor Konstantinos Porfirogennetos (913-959) referred to the city, which was weakened by Arab incursions in the 19th and 19th centuries, as a "pirate's nest" in his work "De Thematibus". Arab geographer Idrisi (towards 1150) calls Side "Burnt Antalya" and reports that its people have been settled in "New Antalya", which is two days away.
Selimiye Village was established by Cretan immigrants in the early 19th century on the ruins of Side Ancient City, which is known as a commercial and port city. Located on a peninsula, Side stretches along a monumental street that starts at the city's main gate, as in other Pamphilia cities. Starting from the "Grand Gate" in the northeast, the main street runs along the peninsula in the form of a straight line, except for the curve in front of the Theater, ending with a large square near the temples. The second largest street of the city extends from the "Grand Gate" to the south of the city. Both streets are columned, with columned porticoes with corinthian head on each side and a row of shops behind them.
