Temple of Apollo

🏛️ The Temple of Apollo at Didyma: the sanctuary of oracles and stone giants

📍 Location

• Located in the modern city of Didim, in the province ofAydın, on the Aegean coast of Turkey.
• This temple was an integral part of the ancient city of Didyma, linked to Milet, a large Ionian metropolis located 17 km to the north.

🧬 Origins and history

• The sanctuary of Didyma was famous from the 7th century BC for his oracle of Apollo, rivaling that of Delphi.
• According to legend, Apollo entrusted the gift of prophecy to a shepherd named Branchos, whose descendants, the Branchides, became the priests of the temple.
• The temple was destroyed by the Persians in 494 BC, then rebuilt from the 4th century BC in a monumental style, but never fully completed.

🏯 Architecture and dimensions

• The temple measures 118 meters long on 60 meters wide, making it one of the largest temples of Antiquity.
• He is surrounded by 120 Ionic columns more than 19 meters high, some still standing, others lying like sleeping giants.
• The interior housed a adyton (enclosed sacred space), where the prophetic spring and the statue of Apollo were located.
• Access was via a sacred way from the port of Panormos, used by pilgrims and processions.

🎭 Religious and cultural function

• The temple was a major oracular center, where priests interpreted divine signs for kings, generals and citizens.
• It also served as place of worship, gathering and prestige, embodying the spiritual power of Miletus.
• The religious holidays, the offerings, and the purification rites punctuated the life of the sanctuary.

🌿 Atmosphere and visitor experience

• Today, the site is silent and majestic, bathed in light and surrounded by hills.
• The imposing columns, carved capitals, and scattered marble blocks create a mystical and timeless atmosphere.
• We can walk among the ruins, imagine the oracles, and feel the past greatness in every stone.

✨ Why the Temple of Apollo is unforgettable

It is a place where the divine word echoed in the stone, where architecture defied the centuries, and where the sacred was mixed with beautyThe Temple of Apollo at Didyma is grandiose, mysterious and deeply spiritual — a sanctuary where one comes to listen to the echoes of the past.