Apollo Temple (Aydin)

The Apollo Temple is located in Didyma, a historic location in the province of Aydin. Didymaion was the former name of the temple, which belonged to Miletos but served as a spiritual hub for Ionian cities. It was the second-most significant divine center after Delfi throughout antiquity and the fourth-largest temple in the ancient Greek world. The Lydian King Kroisos and the Egyptian King Nekho II reportedly made offerings to the temple in 600 BC, according to Herodotus. The Persians later damaged it in 494 BC, but it was later repaired. Diocletian's "Great Persecution" against Christians began here, and it was converted into a church by Christians. Today, in Aydin, one can still see the divination center that almost all Western Roman emperors, from Caesar to Julianus, used, along with other well-known landmarks like the Artemis Temple and the Medusa Relief.