Археологический музей Сиде Archaeological Museum of Side

Rating 10110

Since September 2017 we have been vacationing in Side. My son and I visited the ancient city on our own, we could not pass by the city museum. Entrance to the museum for one person costs 10 Turkish lira. The archaeological museum is a very interesting place. This museum is an extensive collection of artifacts discovered during excavations. This rich exhibition is shown in the building of the old baths (terma) of the Roman period. The museum is located on the Liman Caddesi (Harbour Street), opposite the Roman amphitheater in close proximity to the center of the ancient city. The museum is open daily. In summer (April-October) from 09:00 to 19:00 and in winter (November-March) from 08:00 to 17:00. The baths were originally located outside the city walls of ancient Side. The baths were built earlier than the 2nd century AD. e. , then restored in the 5th century AD. Their plan illustrates the so-called ring baths.
In contrast to the common Roman baths, where customers walked in a circle, one after another in a row, according to the new concept, they wandered around the bathrooms in a circle. The building was erected according to a rectangular plan, with sides of 26 meters and 41.5 meters in length, respectively. The baths consisted of five rooms of various sizes, which in ancient times served as a frigidarium (cold water room), a caldarium (hot water room), two tepidariums (warm water rooms) and a sauna. In addition, the steam rooms were equipped with dressing rooms and an oval pool. The interior walls and floors in all areas were lined with marble slabs. The caldarium was a pool room with hot water, and its marble floor was heated by an underground system called a hypocaust. Water was supplied to the baths from an aqueduct from the mountainous regions north of the city. The stove used to heat the water was placed under the bath building.
Steam rooms were covered with tree trunks. On the western side of the bath there is a palaestra (courtyard) which was used in antiquity as an exercise area, especially for wrestling and boxing. Currently, the palestra area serves as the museum's garden, where sarcophagi and other large exhibits are displayed. Among the ancient artifacts, majestic peacocks roam, ignoring visitors. When visiting the museum, please make sure to spend enough time in the garden (inner courtyard) where some of the most impressive artefacts are displayed and meet the majestic peacocks walking there. The museum is small, but for tourists interested in history it is of considerable interest. Descriptions of items are predominantly in Turkish and English. I recommend reading about the museum on the Internet beforehand. I found the description on the museum's official website. Translated from English.
With this description, they walked and got acquainted with the exhibits. I wish you good viewing.