Didim sits south of the Büyük Menderes delta, beside the ancient city of Didyma and close to the Altınkum beaches, 123 kilometres from the provincial centre. On the historical record it was founded by a group of Ionians led by Neleus, son of Kodros the king of Athens.
The Seleucids, the Pergamenes and the Romans ruled here in turn. When the Roman empire divided, the city stayed in Byzantine hands.
After the Seljuks came to dominate the region, the town fell inside the Menteşe principality in the 12th century and became that principality's capital. It passed to the Ottomans in 1415.
The modern district is very young. Didim was a small settlement in the 1960s and grew considerably with tourism. It became a district in May 1990, and the old name — Yenihisar — was changed to Didim at the wish of local people by a decision published in the Official Gazette on 9 April 1997. The temple of Apollo at Didyma, the Altınkum beaches and the ancient sites of the district each have their own page below.
