Description of the attraction
One of the historical treasures of the city-museum of Side is the Port Bath. This oldest building was built in the third century (in the pre-Roman era) by order of the mayor of the city of Side. At that time, Turkey was a powerful and large prosperous state with developed trade. She wanted to exert economic and military influence on the foreign policy transformations of nascent Europe, and one of the most important means for this was shipping. Therefore, every port of the state had the most important strategic importance. As a result, numerous significant and unique institutions were created in the ports.
An example of such an institution was the port bathhouse of the city of Side. It differs in many features from ordinary buildings in the city, since, first of all, it was designed to attract visitors, and also demonstrated all the development and strength of the state. According to ancient traditions, all newcomers were first washed, and only then allowed into the city.
As the name implies, the bathhouse was located near the port, south of the city theater building. The structure has a rectangular shape, the length and width of which are, respectively, 60 and 40 meters. There are four large halls, parallel to each other, and three small rooms. There was a heating system under the marble floor of the bathhouse.
Over the centuries, the bathhouse has been repeatedly restored and rebuilt. Over time, two gymnastics salons were attached to it, so that local residents could do physical exercises here. Nowadays, the Port Bath is a ruin, in its place there is only a ruined ancient stone masonry, but this in no way diminishes its historical value.
