|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||
Side, Imperial Hall, 2004. Near the beach at Side, east of Antalya, stand the ruins of an ornate structure, surrounded by sand and matted sea grass. The elegant central hall may have been built for the reception of a Roman Emperor. Dozens of statues of gods and heroes, larger than life size, were arrayed on two tiers between columns around the brilliant marble-clad hall. The adjacent rooms may have housed a library and archive. In the 7th century AD, Arab raiders destroyed the great hall, together with the rest of Side. The once proud monumental building now lies crumbling and forlorn amid the encroaching dunes.
|
