Temple of Apollo

The Temple of Apollo at Didyma was the fourth largest temple in the Ancient Greek world. Indeed, it was well over twice the size of Athens' Parthenon. But as was common for Greek temples of such an immense size, construction continued for centuries and the temple was never completed. Yet even the ruins are still a magnificent sight.

The ruins of today represent the third and final reincarnation of the temple. The first one was replaced by a much larger structure. That one was destroyed by the Persians in 494 BCE. And the third one was razed to the ground by an earthquake in 1493.

As one of the world's greatest temples to Apollo, it played a significant role in the Mediterranean. Built around a sacred spring, many rulers, from Alexander the Great to the Roman emperor Diocletian, sought favour at the temple. And both Julius Caesar and Caligula served as patrons of the sanctuary. 

This ancient Greek sanctuary is just a short distance from modern Didim, which derives its name from the ruins. In Greek, didyma means "twins”. Recently archaeologists have uncovered a second temple nearby, dedicated to Artemis. Apollo and Artemis were, of course, twins.