Situated on the on the Aegean west coast of Turkey, the Sanctuary of Didyma with its Oracle and the colossal Hellenistic Temple of Apollo was one of the most evocative of classical Ancient Greek sites in Turkey.
Erected on the site of an older temple destroyed by Darius I of Persia in 494 BC, the 3rd c BC Temple of Apollo is nearly 120 metres long and 60 metres wide and is the 3rd largest Greek temple ever built after those of Ephesus and Samos. Only 3 columns remain...
more »Situated on the on the Aegean west coast of Turkey, the Sanctuary of Didyma with its Oracle and the colossal Hellenistic Temple of Apollo was one of the most evocative of classical Ancient Greek sites in Turkey.
Erected on the site of an older temple destroyed by Darius I of Persia in 494 BC, the 3rd c BC Temple of Apollo is nearly 120 metres long and 60 metres wide and is the 3rd largest Greek temple ever built after those of Ephesus and Samos. Only 3 columns remain standing today from the magnificent original 122 enormous Ionic columns that reached a height of 60 feet and with a diameter of 6 feet around the base. The columns formed a double colonnade around the temple and the ornate capitals and impressively large column bases display beautiful, rich and decorative carvings.
The temple is part of the Sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma which was one of the most evocative and sacred of classical sites. Its oracle was famous with pilgrims throughout ancient world and was second in importance only to Delphi.
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