Didyma was an ancient Greek city, located in Turkey, near the modern village of Yeni Hisar (Yoran) near the town of Söke in the province of Aydin. Just outside of Didyma was the sanctuary containing a temple and oracle of Apollo, the DidymaionDidyma means "twin". Didyma was a neighbor of Miletus, to which it was connected only by sea, and those arriving by ship would land at the harbor of Panormus"All-port" and follow the Sacred Way to Didyma.
Whether the name Didyma refers to "twin" temples, or to temples of the "twins, Apollo and Artemis,whose cult center at Didyma was only recently established, or whether there is a connection to Cybele Dindymene, "Cybele of Mount Dindymus", is mooted.
Until its destruction by the Persians in 494 BC, Didyma's sanctuary was administered by the family of the Branchidae, the descendants of Bronchos, a youth beloved of Apollo. For the last two kilometers of its length the Sacred Way was lined with the seated statues of members of the Branchidae family, male and female.
After his capture of Miletus in 334 B. C. Alexander the Great placed the administration of the oracle in the hands of the city.