Blogs from Didyma, Aegean, Turkey, Middle East
The Temple of Apollo at Didyma, the ancient town of Priene and Roman Baths at Milet
Published: September 5th 2011Middle East » Turkey » Aegean » Didyma
August 26th 2011
The Temple of Apollo was Phil’s favorite site, partly because of the sheer magnitude of it and how much of it still remained, allowing you to walk through it and imagine it in its prime when the oracle was there, being consulted by the mighty as to their futures. It was also not lost on us that it was allegedly the site of the first documented strike by laborers. The ancient workmen weren’t getting their pay, so they just stopped working. Evidence of this is the fact that some of the huge columns still don’t have their vertical scalloped-out lines. The ancient site of Priene is an example of early town planning (did you study this, Jeff?), where the remains of the residents’ stone houses are neatly ordered on the hilly slope and some of the ... read more
July 9th 2011
Today we visited Priene, the first planned city in the ancient world. From the parking lot, it was quite a hike straight up before we finally reached the ruins. The first site we went to was the theater. Once again, the drama teacher in the group put on a little performance and he did not disappoint. The next location was the Sanctuary of Athena. Several columns have been rebuilt, but scattered all around are the remaining sections and it almost looks like an overgrown, oversized pumpkin patch. One of the most impressive qualities about the Sanctuary of Athena has nothing to do with the actual remains or the size of the temple, but with the natural location of this site. It is high up and it overlooks the most fertile land in Turkey. Behind the Sanctuary, ... read more
November 8th 2010
Well thats been a quick six months, left Didim today as our visa run out on the 8th November and the car shortly after. Its a long drive to the Turkish border at Ipsala it took us twelve hours until we arrived at the same hotel we had used six months ago. We shortened the route again by taking the ferry from Canakkale to Eceabat. The area around here has a lot of history right up to the ANZAC campaign. Long and not so interesting journey to get here as we were on a mission so we didnt get held at the border due to it being the last day on our visa. Passed through border with not a lot of trouble. Into Greece checked into our hotel in Alexandroupoli knackered. We have done so much ... read more
September 21st 2009
Today we headed for Priene and Miletus. Once important seaports, they’re both several kilometers from the Aegean because the river Menderes has been depositing silt and building up the shoreline. Note my referral of the Harbour Monument in Miletus. On the way we drove past Kusudasi and saw the beautiful vacation homes and cruise ships docked in the harbor. The Aegean looked wonderful, with islands just offshore. Priene is south of Selcuk, located on the craggy slopes of Mt Mykale. It was important around 300 BC. There we climbed a lot of steep paths and stairs. I forgot to mention that in earlier times the folks must have been very tall. The rise of these stairs is unbelievable! It was sunny and hot especially after all the climbing but so worth it. Hope you’re not bored ... read more
Priene, Miletus, and Didyma continued
Published: September 28th 2009Middle East » Turkey » Aegean » Didyma
September 21st 2009
Continuing on south to the ancient town of Miletus, we were pretty exhausted but gathered up enough energy to scramble among more ruins. Miletus was a grand city in its time (700BC-AD700). Their theatre boasted a seating capacity of 15,000. The ruins of it are almost 2,000 years old. I have some photos of the ruins (theatre, Great Harbour Monument, and my personal favorite, the Nymphaeum (the great fountain)and an artistic rendition of what it was. We were totally beat and “ruined out” by the time we got to Didyma and briefly looked and made our way back to Selchuk for an early evening.... read more
June 21st 2009
Today has been fantastic. We went out riding. There were some great roads, wide and winding through mountains, able to go fast enough to stay cool. I got stung by a wasp through my t-shirt, my leather was open, but that is no big deal. We managed to visit 4 ancient sites. Magnesia which we came to by chance, and the three planned for, Didim because of the fantastic Apollo oracle, Miletus because it is there and interesting, and Pirene to take in the stunning views and position, and the proper theatre. Needless to say we took lots of pictures. More words on each below. Magnesia: We didn't know it was there but when we saw it flash past we decided to visit. The man on the gate promised to watch the jackets and helmets so ... read more
September 17th 2008
The Sunset-Touch Agora Pension, Kapıkırı (Heraklia), Lake Bafa - September 17th, Evening Genuinely a very brief entry, as I do not have any world-shattering thoughts to add to the guide book's account of Pamukkale. The bus journey from Kuşadası is, bizarrely, cheaper, faster and more fun if you break it up, and since getting from A to B by a geodesic would be anathema to me, I did just that. The road to Aydın ("City of Light" - I have come across few towns less appropriately named) snakes up into the Lydian mountains, following the southern Scamander, and I had the precipitous sides of the river valley as companions for the whole journey. From Aydın, you hop on a bus to the larger and even more disappointing city of Denizli, and thence it is a fifteen-minute ... read more
July 18th 2007
Well strictly speaking it's not actually from Turkey because we've been back 4 days now...and missing it already! We're missing the glorious sunshine, the turquoise sea, the friendly waiters and the relaxed lifestyle. Whilst it was lovely to catch up with family and friends back home, we wasn't overly impressed by the constant rain that awaited us at Manchester Airport! So as you can probably tell, we had a lovely time. The apartment was fantastic and thankfully Mum, Dad, Andy and Elaine had thought of everything we'd need to make it an enjoyable holiday. We were ridiculously grateful for the air conditioning, as somedays it reached over 40 degrees. It was the Turkish national holiday whilst we were there, which made it busy with all the Turks who live in the cities flooding to the coast ... read more
