Didyma





The ancient ruins of Didyma ( Didymaion ), are situated near the tourist resort of Didim in the Aydin province. Didim gets its name from Didyma which means twins in Greek. This site is just 20 minutes or 15 km away from Miletus in the village of Yeniköy. This is not a huge site but it does have some magnificent examples of ancient columns and stone masonry.

Miletus was connected to Didyma by road although most goods and large transports would have been moved by ship since both were ports. The most important and well preserved building on the site is the Sanctuary of Apollo. Suffering a similar fate to Miletus, Didyma was all but destroyed by those pesky Persians in 494 BC under the Persian King Darius. Alexander the Great was here, the Romans and the Byzantines. It changed hands a lot.

There are several structures here for the visitors to see and some ancient tunnels and plenty of ruins. There is still much left to be discovered. There is a small museum and some gift shops and cafes near the entrance to the site. There are also parking facilities.

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