Page 44 - Sarpedon’dan Keykubad’a Bir Zamanlar Antalya

ing down her legs which are rooted in the soil the waters flowed.
But there is no turning back, poor Side’s body slowly begins to
crust over with bark as she turns into a pomegranate tree.
Realizing that she has made a huge mistake, the beautiful
tearful Side calmly states: “From now on, I will be a tree that
bears blood-colored fruit. I will be a symbol of abundance and
life. Bring my daughter to me often, let her play in my shadow.
But tell her not to pluck any more flowers and harm the trees.”
Since then, the pomegranate tree has been regarded as a
sacred symbol rather than a fruit in Side. So much so that most
of the coins produced by the city were minted with the image of
a pomegranate on them. Today, Side is still full of pomegranate
gardens. Their lands are watered with the tears of the nymphs.
Because of this the pomegranate is the symbol of fertility, abun-
dance and of the mother goddess.

Side excavations carried out by under the chairmanship
Prof. Dr. Feriştah Alanyalı from Eskişehir Anadolu University Ar-
cheology Department.

Fig. 27: Side Coin. On the left; Athena,
Right; The Goddess of Victory Nike and the Symbol of Side
Pomegranate in Front of Him.

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