This photo journal features Agrigento's Valley of the Temples, one of Sicily’s most famous historical attractions, & one of the most important archaeological sites in the world, It has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1998.

AGRIGENTO'S VALLEY OF THE TEMPLES isn’t a valley at all, but a row of temples strung along a long rocky escarpment (ridge) just south of modern-day Agrigento (a-gree-JENN-toe) town. The archaeological park has the remains of 7 Greek temples which were all erected in the course of one century (5C BCE), plus various other remains of the ancient city of Akragas, as it was known then. The 6 temples on the ridge are the Temples of Hera (Juno), Concordia, Heracles (Hercules), Zeus (Jupiter), Castor & Pollux, & Hephaistos (Vulcan). A 7th temple, further down on the bank of the Akragas river near a medical spring, is the Temple dedicated to Asklepius (Eusculapius), the god of medicine. The mouth of the river was the harbor & emporium (trading-post) of the ancient city.

The city was razed by the Carthaginians in 406 BCE, however, the buildings were restored by the Romans (1C BCE) in their original Doric style. Their subsequent states of disrepair are due to earthquakes, or the destructive fury of the Christians from the Eastern Empire. The only temple to survive more or less intact is the Temple of Concordia because it was converted into a basilica in the 6th century.

Basically, all of the temples except one are Doric order, & conform to the hexastyle format (ie six columns wide). The exception is the Temple of Zeus which is 7 columns wide. All of the temples face east, respecting the Classical criterion (both Greek & Roman) that the entrance to the cella (inner chamber), where the statue of the god was housed, should be illuminated by the rays of the rising sun, the source & blood of life.

More info. This site includes a location map of the various temples: http://www.bestofsicily.com/agrigento.htm

Info on the individual temples + photos: http://www.valleyofthetemples.com/agrigento_temples.htm

Awesome photos: http://www.paradoxplace.com/Perspectives/Sicily%20&%20S%20Italy/Montages/Sicily/Other%20Sicily/Agrigento.htm

AGRIGENTO is located on a plateau overlooking Sicily's south coast, just east of Selinunte, where we were earlier in the day. The only reason to come here is the Valley of the Temples, the archaeological park & UNESCO heritage site.

Agrigento was founded as Akragas around 582 BCE by a group of settlers, mainly from Rhodes & Crete, who initially settled in Gela (SE of Agrigento- see the map). They decided to move west, not only because the land in the area was ideal for cultivating olives, grapes & cereal, but also to stem the ambitious advances of the Cathaginians. The city soon became prosperous, & in its glory days was one of the most important & most culturally-advanced Greek cities in the Mediterranean.

However, as it grew more & more successful, so did its rivalries with other Greek colonies, especially that of Siracusa (on the east coast - see map). For example, their troops participated in the Battle of Himera in 480 BCE when the Carthaginians were defeated. However, they were attacked by the Carthaginians in 406 BCE, with help from Siracusa, & after holding out for eight months, Akagras finally fell & its citizens were returned to Gela. Later, they were allowed to return but were prohibited from fortifying their town & had to pay taxes to Carthage.

After a relatively peaceful (if undistinguished) period, Akagras was destroyed several times during the 3 Punic Wars, suffering particularly extensive damage during a siege by Roman forces in 261 BCE, but it was always rebuilt. [*The Punic Wars were a series of 3 wars fought between Rome & Carthage (North Africa) between 264 & 146 BCE. The Romans wanted to expand into Sicily which was partly under Carthaginian control.]

The ancient city’s importance declined under the Byzantines (from what is now Turkey) & the Saracens (Moors/Arabs) because they encouraged settlement several kilometers from the Valley of the Temples to what became present-day Agrigento. However, the Normans (northern France) recognized the importance of the new settlement & it was during their rule that beautiful churches were constructed in & around the city. Akragas was renamed twice before it received its current name in 1927.

While not the prettiest city in Sicily, modern Agrigento is worth a visit, if only for the wonderful views of the temples in the distance, the sea, & several historic churches in the historic center. They include the 14th century Romanesque Gothic cathedral (which offers grand views across the valley), the 13th century Cistercian Abbey Church of San Nicola (St Nicholas), & the Norman Chiesa (church) di Santa Maria dei Greci. And outside of the city is the Archeological Museum which was purposely built to accommodate a huge ‘telamon’ (man-shaped column support) reconstructed from pieces from the Temple of Zeus, & the Roman Quarter, with a few nice mosaics, across the street. Apparently, this part of Sicily is torrid from the end of June through late August. So you may wish to visit during spring or autumn, when the fields are green & the wildflowers are blossoming.