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Didim (altinkum)
Although Didim (Didyma) can only boast of a single monument, it is nevertheless a marvellous site. The Temple of Apollo was one of antiquity's most sacred places. Many times looted and burned, the sanctuary still impresses with its elegant beauty. A portico of double colonnades surround the colossal temple. Not far from the archaeological site, the beautiful beach of Altinkum tempts with its many guest houses. Akbük is another holiday resort in the region with nice beach hotels.
Although the history of Geyre (Aphrodisias) stretches back in time, the city, which was dedicated to Aphrodite, goddess of love and fertility, rose to prominence in the first century B.C. Some of the richest treasures of ancient times were uncovered in the excavations of this city.
The public buildings are handsomely adorned with marble that was carved with astonishing skill, producing remarkable temples, monuments, baths, a theatre and a magnificent stadium. The reputation of the city's craftsmen for the exquisite finesse of their statuary and marble sculpting spread through the civilised world, and Aphrodisias became the center of the greatest sculpting school of antiquity. Many of its marvellous works of art are now housed in the local museum. The theatre and bouleuterion are among the city's best-preserved ruins.
About 35 kilometres east of Aydın lies Sultanhisar, host to an Art and Culture Festival every spring. Nearby, in the quiet of the olive trees, are the ruins of ancient Nysa, famous in the second century A.D. as an educational centre
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