The construction of the gigantic Hellenistic temple was started after the victory of Alexander the Great over the Persians, but the ruins indicate that this Hellenistic temple also remained unfinished. A consequence of this, was the discovery (in the 1980s) of building diagrams engraved in some paving stones of the ‘adyton’ (inner court); this finding was very helpful to the archeologists working on the restoration of the Athens’s Parthenon, to understand how the antique Greeks were able to erect such an elaborate building (with a multitude of slightly curved lines to produce the optic illusion of perfect straightness) in only 15 years (the Parthenon, that is - not the Didim temple). Similar building plans must have been used in Athens too, but were polished away when the Parthenon was finished.
Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Sources: Ecole Française d'Athènes & Website of ‘people.ku.edu’ (Greek Architecture: Building Temples).

A notice explains the history of the inner courtyard and the oracle spring. Initially the holy spring was just in the open. In the 7th century BC a clay brick wall was made to surround it (traces have been found). In the Archaic Period a wall was laid, forming the courtyard. During the 6th century BC the spring seems to have run dry, it was replaced by a well with a small protective building. When erecting the large Hellenistic temple a fountain house was constructed and the courtyard was enlarged. The walls were three times current height. Decorative reliefs with alternating pairs of griffins and lions and floral ornaments can still be seen.
In the 5th and 6th century AD a Byzantine church was built inside the courtyard. Remains of this were removed during 20th century excavation s. The fountain enclosure seen today is modern.

In 2024 I rearranged most pictures into specific galleries. The remainder I left in the main gallery. I start with some general views and information.