The Turkish resort of Didim is a small village by the sea, which is located on the south-west coast of Turkey. The town is quite popular among local population and tourists because of the golden sandy beaches. In ancient times Didim was not really a town, only priests lived here, who came mainly from the temple at Delphi. The name of this ancient city is linked to the legend of the meeting between Zeus and the goddess Leto, which led to the birth of Apollo and Artemis. It was these divine beings have always been honoured in the city and the most beautiful and the most beautiful building in Didyma was the temple of Artemis. And in the neighbouring polis of Miletus there was a temple of Apollo of Delphi. These architectural monuments are still linked the "sacred road", one of the most interesting sights of Didim.
This stone-paved path dates back to the fourth century BC. It was built by the Roman Emperor Trajan, and was previously paved in the grounds of the temples with rather rare and expensive red marble. The road runs through a small gully which, according to reputable scholars, was once sacred. This grove was mentioned by the famous Turkish geographer of antiquity Strabo. It is believed that a walk through it will take four days.
Both sides of the road in ancient times were decorated with majestic marble statues of Branhids. Among these sculptures are eight statues of men, and two statues of women. In addition, the road was adorned with two lion-like sculptures. All of them were donated to the British Museum in 1858. world-famous examples of ancient art. Later, during excavations another similar group of twelve statues was found. Now these archaeological finds are on display in the Museum of Istanbul, Berlin and the Louvre. The Miletus Museum has four smaller statues which were also found in this area. The "sacred road" itself was lined with marble slabs.
Nowadays, the "sacred road" no longer impresses with its grandeur, but a tour of it will help you get to know the history and ancient architecture of Turkey.
