In the Didim area of Aydin province in western Turkey, restoration and repair work has begun to strengthen 3 columns of the Temple of Apollo with a height of 20 meters.
Archaeological and restoration work on the temple site was suspended due to a new type of coronavirus infection pandemic (COVID-19) and resumed a year later.
The temple of Apollo was discovered in the quarter of Hissar and is considered one of the best preserved temples of antiquity.
Archaeological work on the church grounds has been supervised for 12 years by Professor Helga Bumka, a teacher at Halle-Wittenberg, Germany.
The professor told reporters that this year the calendar of works is designed for two months.
Bumka noted that last year archeological and restoration works were carried out in different parts of the temple, but no attention was paid to the columns.
“Recent drone images have revealed small cracks in the tops of the columns. No one climbed the columns or inspected them for 2,300 years. We will now restore these columns. I would like them to stand for another 2,300 years, ”the archaeologist said.
At the same time, the head of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Aydin Province Umut Tunjer said that every year the ruins of the temple are visited by about 100 thousand tourists.
According to him, the Temple of Apollo is one of the important tourist destinations in Turkey.
Tourists will be able to continue to visit the ruins of the temple during the restoration work, said Tunger.
Restoration of the three columns will take about two months, he added.