Temple of Artemis in Didyma

The Temple of Artemis was an ancient Greek temple dedicated to Artemis Pythia in the sanctuary of Didyma, near the city of Miletus, in Asia Minor, present‑day Turkey.

The temple of Artemis was built in the Hellenistic period in the year 100 BC. It was discovered by Germans during archaeological excavations at Didyma in 2013‑2014. Before this, the temple had been sought in the area of the sanctuary of Didyma for a long time. Its existence had been deduced from inscriptions, which mention that, in addition to Apollo, the sanctuary also worshipped his sister Artemis.

The temple was discovered north of the present mosque, an ancient Greek Orthodox church, about 100 metres north of the more famous Temple of Apollo at Didyma. Unlike the Temple of Apollo, the Temple of Artemis was built in the typical straight east‑west orientation. Its foundations measure approximately 31.7 × 12 m. Inside, it had three rooms, and it resembles the smaller naiskos of the adyton of the Temple of Apollo. The altar of the temple has not yet been found, so it is unknown whether its entrance was at the eastern end, as is typical, or at the west, as the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus.

In antiquity, the temple was situated on the western side of the Sacred Way that linked Miletus and Didyma. The road entered Didyma from the northwest. The present mosque, former church, was built in 1830 on ancient foundations.