Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Travel
Bettany Hughes

From a feisty goddess to stone phalluses: why Turkey’s Temple of Artemis is my wonder of the world

Temple of Artemis ruins - one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Temple of Artemis ruins - but you have to imagine this place in its heyday. A sanctuary in the true sense of the word. Photograph: Timo Christ/Alamy

Sitting on the Giza plateau, in the butter-light of sunset, I was asked by Mahmoud (owner of a camel called Michael Jordan) which was my second favourite of all of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Of course, the Great Pyramid of Giza (a renewed Insta hit now that a family of dogs has made it their skyscraper home) wins top slot hands down: its intricate chambers and shafts were originally coated in a polished limestone so bright it would have burned like silver in the desert.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.