The Ancient Cities of Didim

Didim holds one of the region's richest historical legacies, with ancient cities dating back to the 6th century BC. Temples, agoras and statues once stood in these cities; the artefacts recovered from them are now displayed in nearby museums. Four ancient cities — Didyma, Priene, Miletus and Herakleia — turn Didim into more than a beach town: an open-air museum where you can walk through different eras of history in a single day.

Didyma

Didim takes its name from here: Didyma, Greek for "twin", is named for the temple dedicated to Apollo's twin sister Artemis. The city's most important structure is the Temple of Apollo. Legend has it that Apollo met a shepherd, was impressed by him, and gave him the secrets of prophecy; in return, the shepherd built the temple on this spot, rich in forest and water sources. Thanks to this temple, Didyma became known in the ancient world as a "city of oracles" — a religious centre significant enough to be compared with the oracle at Delphi. Didyma sits in central Didim and is within walking distance, making it the easiest of the four ancient cities to visit.

Priene

10 km north of the Büyük Menderes delta, Priene is thought to have been founded by the Ionians, with traces dating to the 6th century BC; at its founding it stood close to the sea, but changing geography gradually filled in the coastline, leaving the city inland. Conquered by the Romans in 155 AD, it remained under Roman-Byzantine rule for 12 centuries — a period during which it flourished — before passing to Turkish rule from the 13th century. The city was built on a grid plan of 80 equal blocks of 8 houses each; the freshwater and drainage channels still visible today trace back to this planned approach to urban design. The six-columned Temple of Athena Polias, built by Pytheos, stands at the city's highest point and is regarded as a work of fine craftsmanship. Priene is about 45 minutes by car from central Didim, and can also be reached by bus.

Miletus

Close to Priene, Miletus was once an important harbour city, with traces dating to 3000–3500 BC; over time, the delta formed by the Büyük Menderes river pushed the coastline away, leaving Miletus about 10 km inland today. Archaeological samples from the city and its surroundings show it experienced a Polished Stone Age, and remains point to a livestock-based economy. Opened to trade in the 1900s BC, the city gained its first written records through the Hittites; it passed to the Seljuks in the 11th century and was actively used for trade with the Venetians during that period. The Temple of Athena Polias, a must-see within the city, sits roughly between Priene and Miletus. Artefacts from Miletus are displayed at the Louvre and the İstanbul Archaeology Museums; finds from local excavations can also be seen at the Miletos Museum in Didim.

Herakleia

Near Lake Bafa, about 50 minutes from central Didim, Herakleia has survived since the 8th century BC. Home to many civilisations, the city remained significant for about 7 centuries before beginning to decline from the 1st century BC. It takes its name from Herakletes, a mythological figure. Its main surviving structures include the Temple of Athena, an agora, monasteries and a theatre; the Temple of Athena and the agora in particular, with their striking remains, draw the most visitor attention. Set at the foot of Mount Latmos on the shore of Lake Bafa, Herakleia has the most dramatic natural scenery of the four ancient cities.