I once saw a temple thiiiiiiiissss BIG!

Didyma or Didim in Turkish is known for its Temple of Apollo.  For 1.50TL per person we could get the minibus from the marina straight to the temple and it ran every 20 minutes so getting a ride back was a piece of cake.

This is the Temple of Apollo.  The site itself is small and is surrounded by houses, restaurants, and hotels but the temple is very impressive.

It figures that the first thing that happens when we get there is Dad gets bit by an ancient lion.  I’ve told him time and time again not to pet the natives, but he just doesn’t listen.

The temple is the biggest in Turkey and rivals the Parthenon in size measuring 623 ft by 167 ft.  There are 124 well preserved columns, some still supporting their architraves like the one pictured.

The columns in the front had ornate decoration along the base.  I was really impressed with how detailed the décor was and how well intact it still was.

Mow and I were pretending to be one of the 124 columns. 

This is the oracle courtyard.  There was a pool and fountain that was built over a spring for the oracle’s use.  The temple’s oracle is said to rival Delphi.  The courtyard was built with a series of tunnels where the priests would seek advice and the oracle’s voice would echo off of the walls creating a deep ghostly effect.

Gryffindor!  These were thought to be along the top of the walls of the oracle’s courtyard.  The walls shown were only 1/3 of the height it was believed to be.  We find it hard to believe that after falling such detailed portions still remain and didn’t crack upon impact.

Have you hugged a column today?  I wanted to try and show just how wide these columns were.  Most of the ones we’ve seen you could literally hug, there were massive.

This is another example of the size of the column pieces. 

This looks like the place where super big columns come to die.  I always think it’s fascinating to see where one has fallen and see how it was put together.  The supports were recently made to keep the pieces of moving.  The house in the background is one of many that surround the ruin.

I like this photo of Dad and me.  Those are the only columns that are still standing in their entirety behind us. 

There were a bunch of statue bases with the foot outlines scattered around.  This is a statue of the crazy guy in need of a nap.  There were all sorts of inscriptions on the bases in Greek apparently stating the name and athletic ability of the person depicted.  Of course none of the actual statues are still here… I’m guessing the museum in Istanbul or England.

The three stages of the columns.  The temple started around 300 BC and was under construction for 5 centuries but was never completed.  Around AD 385 the oracle’s popularity dwindled when Christianity rose.