Side Antik Tiyatrosu
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About
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Why go
- The seating bowl, about 119 m across, with its lower section of 29 rows in 11 blocks split by 12 stairways.
- The diazomata, the horizontal passage that splits the seats into lower and upper parts, reached by 23 vaulted passages.
- The proscenium, six metres deep and three metres above the orchestra, with five doors leading to it from the stage building.
Interesting facts4
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180 degrees
The seating forms an arc of more than 180 degrees, not a half circle.
Teatro de Side - Wikipedia -
The orchestra is a half circle, a Roman feature, unlike the full circle of Greek theatres.
Teatro de Side - Wikipedia -
The lowest floor of the stage building had nine rooms, two of them with stairs up.
Teatro de Side - Wikipedia -
The base of the proscenium carries reliefs from mythology.
Teatro de Side - Wikipedia
History
In the 4th century it became a sort of open-air church. Small chapels were built on both sides of the seating, and some benches were reserved for the clergy.
- Hellenistic periodBuilt first as a Greek theatre.
- mid-1st century BCRebuilt and converted into a Roman theatre.
- Next centuryAdapted for gladiator and wild animal shows.
- 4th centuryBecame an open-air church, with chapels built on both sides of the seating.
Tips for your visit
- The ruins lie in the city centre, just west of the commercial agora, so the two sites are close to each other.
- Start with the stage building, which survives to about 23 m high in its best-preserved state.
- The ruins are the most important relic of Side, so they are the first thing to see in town.
Sources: Teatro de Side - Wikipedia · checked 25 Oct 2026
Questions and answers
Where is the Side Antik Tiyatrosu?
It stands in the city centre of Side, in Manavgat on the Turkish Mediterranean coast, just west of the commercial agora.
How big is the Side Antik Tiyatrosu?
The seating bowl is about 119 m across and the orchestra about 29.5 m. The stage building survives to about 23 m high in its best-preserved state.
Was the Side Antik Tiyatrosu always a Roman theatre?
No. It was first built as a Greek theatre in the Hellenistic period. In the mid-1st century BC it was rebuilt and converted into a Roman theatre.
Did gladiator shows take place at the Side Antik Tiyatrosu?
Yes. In the century after its conversion it hosted gladiator and wild animal shows, with a wall about two metres high between the audience and the orchestra.
Why is the Side Antik Tiyatrosu important?
Its ruins are the most important relic of Side. In the 4th century it became an open-air church, with chapels built on both sides of the seating.
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