Didyma
According to Homeagerly, Didyma was an ancient place and is located on the west coast of Turkey, near the port city of Miletus on the southern Aegean Sea. The two places were connected by sea, of course, and then around the 6th century BC a road was built a little off the beaten track coast. The street was called “the Holy Street” because processions took place here.
Didyma was never a city, but it is still worth the trip. Here you can see a really impressive historical building, the Ionic Temple of Apollo with its ornate columns from the 7th century BC Chr., Find.
The temple was built in honor of the god of oracles and prophecies and thus Didyma became around 500 BC. One of the most important places of the Greek oracle. Further significant greek oracle could be found in Dodona, Klaros, and Delphi.
There was also a source of its own, which was sacred. In the year 494 BC the temple was destroyed by the Persians and the source of the prophecies dried up. It was not until almost 160 years later that Alexander the Great brought the oracle back to life and restored it. Later the temple became a church and Didyma became a diocese. An earthquake severely damaged the Temple of Apollo in 1493 and Didyma was abandoned. It was not until the 18th century that the Ottomans settled it and gave it the name Yenihisar, which means “New Castle”.
The temple consists of a double ring hall, around 100 columns surround the temple complex, not all of which have been preserved in full, but they are still in their original location. The work on the temple took about 600 years, but it was never finished and legend has it that the temple remained without a roof due to its size. At the temple, namely in the southeast of it, there is a stadium. Competitions were held here from around 200 BC.
Not far from Didyma, namely about five kilometers south of it, is the seaside resort of Altinkum. The beach there is very long and mostly overcrowded in the summer months. About 20 km from Didyma is Miletus, once a famous ancient trading town and extremely worth seeing.
Istanbul
A great city that lies on two continents and is rich in interesting and historical landmarks.
Istanbul was once called Byzantium, then it became Constantinople and was the capital of Turkey until 1923. The metropolis is located in the Marmara region. A great view over the entire old town and the golden hornone is from the Galata Tower. Even on a ferry ride you can see the beautiful Asian side of the city.
If you have little time, you should definitely visit the most famous buildings in Istanbul. These include the 6th century Hagia Sophia, the construction of which was started by Emperor Justinian, the Blue Mosque and the Topkap? Palace. The latter was the official sultan’s residence for 400 years, in which a great art collection is housed.
Other sights are the Chora Monastery, a Byzantine church from the 14th century, with its unique frescoes and mosaics, the Sultan Ahmet Mosque, the construction of which began in 1609 and whose silhouette shapes the cityscape of Istanbul to this day. Bazaars are also interesting to see, for example the Egyptian Bazaar and the “Big” or “Covered Bazaar” is a specialty. A covered shopping city for oriental goods that has been around for more than 650 years. It houses more than 3,500 stores. In the past it was repeatedly partially destroyed by fires, but always rebuilt. In these shops you can find jewelry, leather goods, ceramics and much more. Haggling is an absolute must, as in all bazaars in Turkey.
There are also a number of interesting museums in Istanbul. The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art with a large collection of exhibits covering the period from the 7th to the 20th century. For example, textiles, vessels or inscription stones and much more are among them.
The museums for antiquity are housed in the outer courtyard of the Topkap? Palace and consist of three buildings. This also includes the Museum of Ancient Near Eastern Art and the Archaeological Museum with many coins, ancient sculptures and ceramics.
Seeing Istanbul from the water is definitely one of the most beautiful ways. To do this, you take a crossing from Eminönü to Üsküdar, which is on the Asian side. How to get to the Rumeli Hisar fortress? over and can take the ferry up the Bosphorus to Sariyer, that’s another highlight.
If you have brought a little time with you, you should definitely plan a visit to a Turkish bath, after which you will feel like newborn. Of course, a belly dance performance or an oriental dinner is one of the things that shouldn’t be missed in Istanbul.
