Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
International Conference on Environment: Survival and Sustainability, Nicosia, Kıbrıs (Gkry), 19 - 24 Şubat 2007, ss.207-221
Side which is one of the oldest settlements in the Mediterranean Region is a sub settlement located within the boundaries of the province of Antalya with the Taurus Mountains to the north, the Mediterranean to the south and the Manavgat River to the east which was known as Pamphylia in antiquity. The settlement was established on a peninsula about 1 km long in southeast direction having 350-400m wide. Due to its special location, Side was the only harbour city of Pamphylia region and became an important harbour and commercial centre in antiquity. Side which is 70 km from Antalya and 7 km from Manavgat town can be reached both by land, sea and air. In the ancient language of Side, "Side" meant pomegranate which was also the amblem of the city in ancient times. This fruit was depicted on the city coinage from about 500 BC till to Roman imperial times [8]. The historical background of the settlement dates back to the second half of the 7th century BC and according to Strabo, Side was founded by the inhabitants of Kyme - Aliaga, Izmir. Side reached the climax of its glory in the 2nd century and the first half of the 3rd century AD. So, the most magnificent buildings in the settlement were erected during this phase of the Roman Era and Side became a metropolis. In the middle of the 4th century, an inner city wall was constructed across the narrowest part of the promontory which caused the abandonment of the north eastern part of the peninsula. During the 5th and 6th centuries, the settlement extended beyond its original limits. In the 7th century, Arab pirates began to damage the city and the settlement was destroyed in the 9th and 10th centuries resulted with the emigration of the inhabitants. So, by the 12th century, it was completely abandoned and ruined also as the result of several earthquakes. The Seljuks, dynasties and Ottomans were not inhabited Side so that no remains of these periods are to be found in the settlement. The buildings survived were covered by sand and weeds in time. In 1895, Turkish immigrants from Crete established a small village spreading over the peninsula called Selimiye and integrated to the whole area. In recent years, along the coast, as a hot tourism spot, Side was noticable with its tourism potential and unhealthy construction activities giving harm to the existing rich urban pattern. Side is an impressive coastal settlement both reflecting the macroform of an antique settlement and Turkish vernacular architectural qualities forming a unique cultural landscape area with its flora and typical Mediterranean dune and maquis vegetation combined with the antique landscape of the peninsula. However, the quality of the townscape and the coastal landscape of the area is eroding rapidly day by day under the constraints of dense tourism activities and defective land uses. In this article, Side will be presented with its historical, archeological and natural qualities. The development of the settlement through history and changes in landscape will be given. Then, its problems and potentials defined by site analysis studies will be emphasized and conservation issues of cultural landscapes will be discussed both in general and in Side case. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011.