Temple of Athena

İzmir & the North Aegean


Built in 540 BC on top of a 238m-high hill overlooking the Gulf of Edremit, this temple with its squat Doric columns has undergone a reconstruction that hurts more than helps. However, the setting with its view out to the Greek island of Lesbos is spectacular and well worth the admission fee. Erected by settlers from Lesbos, the temple once boasted a decorative frieze that is now part of the collection of the İstanbul Archaeology Museum.

Ask at your accommodation about a planned walking trail linking the Temple of Athena with the theatre.


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