Didyma
The sanctuary of Apollo on the Aegean coast of Turkey, with a vast temple and an oracle that rivalled Delphi.
Practised and told of here
Best time: April to May and October, before the midday heat.
Didyma was linked to the city of Miletus. The oracle of Apollo is known from the sixth century BCE, and the great temple whose columns still stand was begun in the Hellenistic period and never finished. A sacred spring sat inside the temple court.
The oracle
A prophetess was said to take the god's words after fasting and bathing, with the spring close at hand. The answers were passed to petitioners by priests. The Persians sacked the sanctuary around 494 BCE, and it was refounded after Alexander the Great.
Scholarship
Greek writers give the outline of the rite but few details, and archaeologists have worked out the layout of the temple. Surviving inscriptions record some of the oracular answers, which makes Didyma a useful comparison for Delphi.
Visiting
The columns, a huge carved Medusa head and the entry stairs can be seen. The site is in Turkey, so it is placed here with Greece's oracles for the Greek story, not for the modern country.
A respectful visit to Didyma
Living communities are not a show. Ask before photographing a person or a ceremony, and follow local rules.
- The temple stairs Walk up the great steps to the inner court.
- Medusa head Look at the carved head set in the temple frieze.
- The sacred spring Find where the water flowed within the court.
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Didyma" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and ceremonies change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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