Archaeologists have unearthed the Heracles Gate, a monumental Roman-period entrance decorated with reliefs depicting the Twelve Labours of Heracles, in the ancient Greek city of Side in modern-day Turkey.
The gate was found during excavations along a nearly 390-meter (1,280-foot) street, one of the city’s main routes, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced this week.
Ersoy said the gate was among several major finds made as excavation teams completed work on the roadway, known as Street B, which runs between the northwestern corner of the city’s gymnasium and its East Gate.
He described it as another of Side’s grand gates brought back into view and said the dig traced the street’s architectural evolution from the Roman period into Late Antiquity.
Carved reliefs on Heracles Gate reflect Side’s Greek city roots
Researchers found that a stoa ran east-west along the street’s north side during the second century AD, with numerous rooms behind it. Surviving door jambs and threshold stones still show traces of the original Roman-era layout. Along the stoa, teams identified three monumental gates, running west to east: the West Gate, the Heracles Gate and the North Bath Gate.
The Heracles Gate stands out for its carved reliefs. Alongside scenes from the Twelve Labours of Heracles, decorative panels depict Greek gods and goddesses such as Athena, Zeus, Artemis, Hygieia and Tyche. Researchers dated the reliefs to the early third century AD and said they were later reused as building material when the gate was constructed in Late Antiquity.
Bishop’s Palace complex reshapes the ancient street in late antiquity
The street’s look changed considerably in the fifth century AD, when the area to its north became part of a Bishop’s Palace complex. Some earlier stoa entrances were sealed off, and new monumental entrances were built along the north side.
Side’de tarihin görkemli kapılarından birini daha gün yüzüne çıkardık.
Yaklaşık 390 metre uzunluğundaki b Caddesi’nde tamamladığımız kazılar, Side’nin Roma’dan Geç Antik Çağ’a uzanan dönüşümüne ilişkin önemli izler ortaya koydu.
Caddenin anıtsal girişlerinden Herakles Kapısı,… pic.twitter.com/ddwmzbk2mN
— Mehmet Nuri Ersoy (@MehmetNuriErsoy) August 26, 2026
Street B then became more than a route for travelers entering through the East Gate, turning into a striking, monumental urban axis. Ersoy linked the excavation to Turkey’s Heritage for the Future Project and said officials would continue working to uncover, protect and pass on Side’s layered history.
He thanked the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums and the excavation team for their work. The findings add fresh detail to the ancient Greek city, where the Heracles Gate now ranks among its most notable monuments.
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