[Turkey Free Travel Day 7] Side Ancient Town, the Millennia-Old Theater, and an Archaeological Treasure Trove: A Day Exploring Antalya's Ancient Civilizations

Itinerary Overview Today we depart from Konya to begin our journey exploring the historic civilizations along Turkey's southern Mediterranean coast. Our guide moved up the gathering time especially early, treating us to an unexpected and beautiful little town — Sille — before heading south, passing magnificent lake views and distant snow-capped mountains, arriving at the ancient Greek harbor ruins of Side, the remarkably well-preserved Aspendos Theatre, and wrapping up with the spectacular Antalya Archaeological Museum as the grand finale. 📍Today's route: Konya → Sille Town → Lake Beyşehir → Sidyma/Sidon Old Town → Aspendos Ancient Theatre → Antalya Archaeological Museum → Dinner and check-in in the city Sille Town: Faith Relics amid Greek Charm In the morning we visited Sille Town on the outskirts of Konya, which retains a strong Greek architectural style and was once the site of a Greek settlement.The most famous landmark in the town is the Hagia Eleni Church — named after the mother of Constantine the Great, it is an important pilgrimage site for European visitors. Since public transportation is not very convenient unless you drive yourself or hire a private car, we don't especially recommend arranging a separate visit there.

▲Sille Old Town Street View: Well-preserved stone-paved streets

▲Greek architectural style is still preserved in this small town

The tour guide explained that this arc-shaped opening was specially designed at the time to let pedestrians avoid horse carriages.

▲Hagia Eleni Church: An ancient church named after Saint Helena Lake Beyşehir: A delightful encounter of lake light and snowy scenery Leaving the small town, we continued southward, passing along the way Turkey's third-largest lake — Lake Beyşehir (Beyşehir Gölü). The lake waters shimmered beautifully against the distant snow-capped mountains, and the scenery along the lakeshore was so refreshing and delightful that it was a beautiful interlude that made us want to stop and admire it through the car window.

▲Distant view of Lake Beyşehir and snow-capped mountains Ancient Town of Side: Where an Ancient Greek Harbor Meets Modern Life At around two in the afternoon we arrived at the small Mediterranean coastal town of Side, which was once an important port city in the ancient Greek era and has now become a popular tourist resort. The coexistence of ancient ruins and modern buildings is its biggest characteristic. Walking through the town, you can see the remains of an ancient Roman marketplace, theater ruins, and the arched columns of the harbor, while tourists leisurely stroll among the nearby cafes and shops. Our guide told us that in ancient times this place traded mainly with Alexandria in Egypt, which made me recall standing on the other side of the sea back in 2023 — now I have finally set foot on the other end, as if fitting together another piece of the journey's puzzle.

▲Ruins of the Roman Forum: The colonnaded street is a remnant of the indoor market of that era

▲Ancient Theater and Arch

▲Xidai Ancient City, where historical monuments and modern architecture coexist

▲Mediterranean Harbor

▲The restored temple is a trace of this small town's former glory Aspendos Theatre: A Thousand-Year Hall of Undying Sound After departing from Side, we headed to the ancient Aspendos Theatre. Built in the 2nd century AD, this Roman theatre is the best-preserved classical theatre in all of Turkey, and to this day it still continues to host music and drama performances. Although its scale does not match that of the Roman Colosseum, it is fully preserved and has outstanding acoustics, and it is still used today for all kinds of performances, making it a wonderful example of the fusion of ancient and modern. We went inside to look around, and standing in the seating area, it felt as though we had traveled back in time into an ancient audience, sensing the cultural atmosphere of that era.

▲Stage Area: Roman-style theaters use a wall to block the scenery behind, so that the audience focuses more on the stage

▲ Full view of the theater: the well-preserved curved auditorium — sit here and travel back a thousand years to ancient times

▲Modern equipment behind the scenes Antalya Archaeological Museum: A Thousand-Year Story from Prehistoric Humans to Sculptures of the Gods Although we were delayed by the evening rush-hour traffic, we still managed to enter the Antalya Archaeological Museum (Antalya Müzesi) before 20:30. This museum houses thousands of years of artifacts excavated from Antalya and the surrounding southern region, making it an unmissable museum. The exhibition halls begin with the evolution of prehistoric humans, then present in sequence the Çatalhöyük culture, the ancient Greek and Roman eras, and the development through to the Ottoman Empire, fully depicting the long river of civilization in Antalya.Pottery, glassware, and religious artifacts are all on display. The Roman-era sculpture gallery is the most spectacular, with lifelike statues of Greek mythological figures, royalty, and nobility, as well as numerous elaborately carved sarcophagi—such as reliefs of Medusa and Cupid, and replica coffins modeled after temple facades—leaving visitors dazzled by the sheer variety. The second floor houses the ancient coins and metal artifacts exhibit, showcasing everything from Greek gold coins and Roman silver coins to Christian gold ornaments and church stained-glass patterns, revealing the beauty of the empire's wealth and religious art.

▲Pottery & Glassware Exhibition Area

▲Statue Exhibition Hall: Sculptures of figures from Greek and Roman mythology, many of which are missing their heads, because during wartime other nations would take the statues' heads away

▲Roman-style mosaic tile carpet

▲ Exquisite sarcophagus carving: Medusa is the guardian of the coffin, while Cupid is the angel who leads the way to heaven

▲Ancient Coins and Ornaments Display Case: The dynastic marks on coins bear witness to a thousand years of change

▲Golden shimmering church stained-glass windows Surprise outside the museum: peacocks appear in the night By the time we left the museum, dusk had already fallen. To our surprise, we spotted three peacocks in the courtyard perched leisurely on the treetops — one white, one black, one colorful. The tour guide laughed and said these were "living exhibits" deliberately kept by the museum, and also one of the special features of this place.

▲White Peacock in the Treetops Dinner in Antalya and First Impressions of the City After checking into our hotel in Antalya, we quickly settled our luggage and headed to a nearby restaurant for dinner. This Mediterranean city feels completely different from Konya yesterday—relaxed and easygoing, an open seaside city. Tomorrow, we'll be heading to one of Turkey's most popular natural wonders—Pamukkale! 📌 Full Record of Our Turkey & Greece Independent Trip Turkey Chapter Day 1-2: First Impressions of Istanbul｜Day 3: Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar Day 4: Cappadocia Hot Air Balloon Wonder | Day 5: Green Line Underground City Exploration Day 6: Sky Mirror (Salt Lake) and Konya Whirling Dervishes | Day 7: Antalya Theater and Old Town Day 8: Salda Lake and Golden Pamukkale | Day 9: Marmaris Resort Day Greece Chapter Day 1: Rhodes Knights' Road | Day 2: Morning Swim in the Aegean Sea and Old Town Tour Day 3: Delphi and Monastery Day Trip | Day 4: Athens Acropolis Classic Route Day 5: Flea Market and Acropolis Museum | Day 6: Attica Department Store and Archaeological Museum