Archaeological excavations in the Side area of the Manavgat district of Antalya have revealed traces of different civilizations. A 7th century synagogue was discovered during excavations under the house. An inscription in the center of the synagogue stated that a Jewish father had paid for the renovation of a place of worship for his son, who had died at the age of 2.5.
Archaeological excavations continue in Sidi, one of the important port cities of ancient Pamphylia, where many civilizations lived. Acceleration of excavations was achieved in 2014, when the area was transformed from a site of the 1st degree to the city and archeological site of the 3rd degree. After the demolition of illegal buildings in the region began to excavate historic buildings one by one. After excavations, the period of historic buildings is determined by scientific research.
There are historical sources that indicate that Jews lived in the Side area, but the first tangible find was discovered during these excavations, Prof. Dr. Ferishtah Alanyali said they had found a 7th-century synagogue and said: “We dug a synagogue out from under the house. It is not as obvious as synagogues, churches and mosques. It takes some time to find this.
The synagogue is now on display. There is an inscription in the middle. “Joseph dedicated the synagogue to his son Daniel. Danilo is a baby who died at the age of 2.5. Joseph pays for the renovation of the synagogue at that time in memory of his son and dedicates it to Daniel”.
