Geographical Location
The ancient city of Syedra is located approximately 20 km southeast of Alanya district center of Antalya. While the central structures of Syedra, which is spread over a fairly large area, are concentrated on the Asar Tepe peak and south-facing high parts, which is approximately 3 km from the Seki neighborhood road that separates from the D400 highway, the port area on the coastline and other smaller hills around Asar Tepe are also connected to the city. associated building groups are available. The identifiable structures of the city include the areas within the borders of the Ispatlı, Ishaklı and Kargicak districts, especially the Seki district. The central area of the city was registered as a 1st degree archaeological site by the Antalya Cultural Heritage Preservation Regional Board with the decision dated 19.03.1991 and numbered 1057. Due to its location on one of the most critical points of the transition route on the coastline, Syedra; He must have had close relations and interactions with the big cities of the fertile Pamphylia plain in the west and the strategic cities of the mountainous Cilicia (Cilicia Tracheia / Cilicia Aspera) region in the east. Western Rough Cilicia, which covers the coastline between Korakesion (Alanya) in the west and Anemurium (Anamur) in the east, and the mountainous part just behind it, which is the southern extension of the Taurus Mountains, has a geography suitable for the natural defense of the cities, as well as being rich in forests and water resources. In addition to its close relationship with the Mediterranean, its strategic location in the coastal connection between the Syrian region and Anatolia also makes the region important. Based on these features of the region, it is inevitable that Syedra should have established maritime relations with the eastern Mediterranean and northern African centers, especially Cyprus, at much earlier dates. As a matter of fact, this coastline was on an important maritime trade route in the Bronze Age, and as in other nearby cities of the region, findings dated to the Bronze Age were found off the port of Syedra. However, neither archaeological nor historical information is sufficient yet about the pre-Hellenistic Period of Syedra and the settlements in its vicinity. Since the city is located on the border of Pamphylia and Kilikia regions, it is sometimes referred to as the city of Isauria region in the state lists of both regions and even between AD 314-324. However, when we look at the settlement model, epigraphic data and the information of ancient sources, it is seen that Syedra reflects the character of the Mountainous Cilicia (Cilicia Tracheia) region.
History
Sea pirates active on the coastline of the region since the last quarter of the 2nd century BC, due to its sheltered coves, forests with suitable timber for shipbuilding, a steep mountainous hinterland where they can escape when necessary, and being on a busy trade route both by land and sea along the coast. they must have gotten stronger in mountainous Cilicia. The Roman army under the command of Consul Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus embarked on an eastern expedition when Rome had to eliminate this danger in order to expand its borders to the east. Arrangements are made in the borders and administration of the Cilicia region, which passed under the control of Rome after the war that was fought in 67 BC and resulted in the victory of the Roman armies in the offshore area of Alanya (Korakesion), which is approximately 20 km northwest of Syedra (Provincia Cilicia). Ancient sources report that Syedra, where Pamphylian and Cilician populations lived together and had a strategic location, had an important role in these dates, supported the Roman armies in the fight against pirates, and used the port of the city on his last journey to Egypt before the death of Pompeius Magnus in 48 BC. . The city began to mint its own coin under the name of "Syedreon" during the reign of Emperor Tiberius (14-37) and it is seen that the minting of coins continued until the reign of Emperor Gallienus (253-268 AD). In the light of these coins, the importance of the cult of Ares, in addition to other gods, is understood in the city. The plan and technical features of the structures that can be observed today show that Syedra had its brightest period between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD. Apart from the architectural remains, the epigraphic findings of these periods also confirm this. Numerous honorary inscriptions unearthed in the Syedra Colonnaded Street are among the indicators of wealth in the late 2nd - early 3rd century AD. The name of Syedra is mentioned as an episcopal center affiliated to the metropolitan Pamphylia during the Byzantine period. It is understood that religious buildings especially held an important place in Syedra, as in other cities in its vicinity.