Didim Didim is the home of the ancient city of Didyma where the ruined Temple of Apollo is located. Didim is a small town and seaside holiday resort within the district of Aydın Province on the Aegean coast of western Turkey. 123 kiometers or 76 miles from the city of Aydın.
Didim is located on the north shore of the gulf of Güllük opposite the Bodrum peninsula villages such as Torba, Türkbükü and Yalıkavak only 123 kilometers or 76 miles from the provincial capital city of Aydın.. The district contains Didim which is a coastal town of about 26,000 people and a number of smaller villages including Altınkum - which means golden sand, Gümüşkum which means silver sand, and Sarıkum whose meaning is yellow sand. Tourism is the primary source of livelihood for the area during the summer as well as agriculture.
Didim got its name from the ancient city of Didyma. During the reign of the Ottoman Empire the town was known as Yoranda or Yoran and later under the Turkish Republic it was called Hisar which means castle. Following its destruction of the city during an earthquake in 1955 it was rebuilt and renamed Yenihisar which means new castle. The town was part of Söke district until 1991 when the area became the district of Yenihisar and in 1997 was given the name Didim to distinguish it from other cities in Turkey called Yenihisar.
This location on the coast has become quite a popular holiday resort with its long sandy beaches, translucent blue waters, archaeological sites and its climate that benefits from hundreds of days of sun each year. One of the most beautiful bays is Haydar situated along a dirt road near the shore of Akbük which means white bay.
Didim has many hotels, a weekly market, a waterpark and the ancient Temple of Apollo is in close proximity. Didim is also near a number of other ancient towns and natural wonders such as Lake Bafa National Park along with the Büyük Menderes River and historical sites such as Miletus and Priene. A new fifty-million dollar Didim Marina (D-Marin Didim) was constructed by the Doğuş Group and started operations in 2009 with berths for 8 to 50 meter boats, a 400-ton boat lift, dry docks, hangars, maintenance yard, yacht club, shopping mall, restaurants and visitor facilities. The Didim Marina is encouraging further tourism and is inflating property prices in the area.
Didim
