Ancient City of Syedra

Syedra Antique City, which dates back to the seventh century BC, is located within the borders of Ishakli Village on the Mersin road, 23 kilometres east of Alanya and continued to exist until the 13th century. The entrance to the ancient city, which is surrounded by walls, is provided by a magnificent monumental gate which is still standing. The fact that Syedra is one of the most important sports centres in the Ancient Age can be seen from the remains of numerous inscriptions including information on sports games and competitions. It is understood from the inscriptions found in Syedra and its region that the city is a Roman ruin. Although the rebellions against the empire in Rome in the second century BC were also found in this region, the Syedra people supported the empire against the rebels. It was therefore honoured with a letter of thanks from the Roman emperor Septimus Severus (194 AD). This letter was written on marble and shown to the public on the street of Syedra collonaded street and is now exhibited in Alanya archaeology museum.

One of the most striking structures in the ancient city is the collonaded street. The west side of the street was built with walls, niches were made to put sculptures on the walls and stone bases were placed. The columns on the other side of the street are made of blackish granite with corinthian head. An honour inscription found in the city indicates that there was a People’s Assembly and the Senate (HBOYLHKAIODHMOS). The base of most of the buildings in the ancient city of Syedra is decorated with mosaics, and a mosaic brought from Syedra in the Alanya museum shows that mosaic art has a special place in the city. In the Mosaic exhibited in the museum, there are pictures of three girls representing the three beauties in mythology and a picture of a boy who is thought to represent Paris. Among the ruins that survived today are an agora, houses, theatre, water cisterns, temple, acropolis and necropolis, monumental gate of the city, collonaded street, Turkish bath, mosaics and the three pools that probably was used as a water tank or irrigation system. The ponds that make up the irrigation system are still used by the villagers today and the water is supplied from the source of a nearby cave.