28 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Ancient Synagogue found in Turkey’s popular tourist center Side

A 7th-century ancient synagogue has been found in Side, a resort town on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.

The synagogue found was evaluated as the first find belonging to the Jews known to have lived in this region.

The synagogue was discovered recently in the town of Side, not far from the popular tourist destination of Antalya.

Among the remains was a plaque with a menorah motif and an inscription in Hebrew and Greek stating that it was donated by a father in honor of a son who passed away at 2.5 years old son. The plaque ends with the Hebrew word “Shalom.”

The town was home to Jews for centuries, but until this discovery, there was little evidence of Jewish life there beyond a few records from the late Byzantine period.

The floor of the synagogue in Side, Turkey, features a plaque with Greek and Hebrew inscriptions
The floor of the synagogue in Side, Turkey, features a plaque with Greek and Hebrew inscriptions

That year was “a turning point for Side in terms of research and conservation,” said Professor Feriştah Alanyali, an archeologist from Anadolu University who is leading the excavations, according to the Gazete Duvar. “Many works have been done that could not be done until now.”

Professor Feriştah Alanyalı said that there is an inscription in the middle of the Synagogue and that it says ‘Joseph from Korekesion (from Alanya) dedicated it to his son Daniel’.

Professor Feriştah Alanyalı said that there is an inscription in the middle of the Synagogue and that it says 'Joseph from Korekesion (from Alanya) dedicated it to his son Daniel'.
Professor Feriştah Alanyalı said that there is an inscription in the middle of the Synagogue and that it says ‘Joseph from Korekesion (from Alanya) dedicated it to his son Daniel’.

Side, in ancient times it was an important Mediterranean port city, adopting Greek culture after its conquest by Alexander the Great in 333 B.C. It maintained a Greek identity until it was abandoned in the 12th century after the conquest of Anatolia by the Seljuk Turks.

The city was repopulated by Turkish Muslim immigrants from Crete towards the end of the 19th century, and had a construction boom throughout the 20th century, due to the increase of tourism in the Antalya region.

In 4-5 years, illegal structures in Side will be completely removed and the underlying history will be revealed.
In 4-5 years, illegal structures in Side will be completely removed and the underlying history will be revealed. Photo: DHA

It was that unrestrained construction that obscured most of ancient Side’s remains, including the synagogue, which was discovered beneath an old home.

Archaeological excavations in Side, one of the important port cities of ancient Pamphylia and home to many civilizations, gained momentum when the archaeological excavations were transformed from a 1st-degree site to an urban and 3rd-degree archaeological site in 2014.

With the demolition of illegal structures in the region, historical structures began to be unearthed one by one.

Related Articles

Archaeologists unearthed the earliest known evidence of body perforation in skeletons dating back 11,000 years at the Boncuklu Tarla in Türkiye

11 March 2024

11 March 2024

Archaeologists have unearthed the earliest known evidence of body perforation in skeletons dating back 11,000 years at the Boncuklu Tarla...

Roman-era Pottery Workshop discovered in Alexandria

29 April 2022

29 April 2022

The Egyptian archaeological mission discovered a Roman-era pottery workshop at the site of Tibet Mutawah, west of Alexandria. The researchers...

The Only Known Roman Brewery, Discovered in Central Italy

6 July 2024

6 July 2024

Archaeologists from the University of Macerata have discovered the only brewery from the Roman era found to date on the...

The Largest Circular Tomb of the Ancient World Is Opening

16 February 2021

16 February 2021

The restoration of Augustus’ colossal tomb, which is expected to be opened in 2014, has been completed. The Augustus mausoleum...

What Lies Beneath Bor Ovoo? Turkish and Mongolian Researchers Set to Unearth Ancient Nomadic Traditions

20 July 2025

20 July 2025

Renowned historian Prof. Dr. Kürşad Yıldırım, a leading expert in Central Asian nomadic cultures from Istanbul University, is spearheading a...

Archaeologists have unearthed an incredible hoard of over 300 Iron Age ‘potins’ in West London

17 July 2021

17 July 2021

Archaeologists at an HS2 construction site in Hillingdon, West London discovered an astonishing treasure of over 300 Iron Age ‘potins”....

4,000-year-old Snake-Shaped Pottery Handle Found in Taiwan

20 February 2024

20 February 2024

National Tsing Hua University archaeologists in Taiwan have discovered a snake-shaped pottery handle dating back approximately 4000 years. Researchers uncovered...

Samen Underground City Getting Prepared for Public Visits

6 June 2021

6 June 2021

Samen Underground City is a unique structure in Iran and the extent of such a structure has not been observed...

Complex Of Early Neolithic Monuments Discovered In Herefordshire, England

22 July 2023

22 July 2023

Archaeologists discovered a remarkable complex of early Neolithic monuments while investigating the area around Dorstone Hill in Herefordshire, England. The...

Whispers of Time: Exploring the Enigmatic Bronze Age Towers of Oman

24 February 2025

24 February 2025

The ancient Bronze Age towers scattered across Oman, dating back nearly 5,000 years, have long been a subject of curiosity...

A rural necropolis from Late Antiquity discovered in northeastern France

5 November 2022

5 November 2022

Inrap archaeologists have unearthed a small rural necropolis from the late 5th century (Late Antiquity) at Sainte-Marie-aux-Chênes in northeastern France....

Archaeologists have unearthed a trove of artifacts at the necropolis of Saqqara

9 June 2022

9 June 2022

Archaeologists at the necropolis of Saqqara, near Cairo, have discovered a cache of 250 complete mummies in painted wooden sarcophagi...

Face of Medusa, Power of the Gorgon: Ancient Amulets Discovered in Karachay-Cherkessia

16 August 2025

16 August 2025

On Russia’s Archaeologist Day, the State Karachay-Cherkess Historical, Cultural, and Natural Museum-Reserve unveiled, for the very first time, a remarkable...

Countless Votive Offerings Discovered at Ancient Sanctuary on Greek Island Kythnos

10 June 2023

10 June 2023

Archaeologists excavating a hilltop temple complex on the Cycladic island of Kythnos (commonly called Thermia) Greece have unearthed more than...

New discoveries show that Claros continued to serve as an oracle center after Christianity

14 September 2022

14 September 2022

Game boards and forked cross motifs dating to the fifth and seventh centuries AD were discovered at the ancient Greek...