Travel Ancient City Of Athens Tourist Attractions Of Athens: Parthenon: The Parthenon that we see today are the remains of an older temple called the Pre-Parthenon which was dedicated to the Goddess of Athena, it was destroyed by the Presians during the Persian invasion in 480 BC, however the structure was converted into a church of the Virgin Mary in the 6th century AD., then in the early 1460s, after the conquest of the Ottoman Turks during a historical period also known as "Tourkokratia".Sadly on 26 September 1687 the Parthenon was bombarded by a venetian military force; that damaged a lot of the monumental sculptures including the middle central part of the Parthenon itself, but Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin known for the removal of marble sculptures also known as the Elgin Marbles because he had removed some of the sculptures that were not destroyed during the bombardment with the permission of the Ottoman Turks; which were later sold in 1816 to the British Museum in London. The Parthenon is a rectangular building made of white marbles with 46 great columns roofed with tiles, a gigantic 40 foot statue of the Goddess Athena stands in the middle of this fortification; which was made of wood, ivory and gold. The Parthenon is a prominent structure of monumental importance and has received archaeological attention, because of its position calculated with a mathematical precision. although the Parthenon has suffered damage over the centuries that have passed it by, it is visited by a lot of tourists. Right from the gold part of the statue being removed in 296 BC, then being converted into a church and then a mosque, gun powder having been stored in the Mosque which still maintains an ancient charm, that cannot be removed. The temple got its name The name Parthenon due to the worship of Athena Parthenos.
Temple Of The Olympian Zeus: There are a number of temples dedicated to the king of the Olympian Gods; Zeus in different parts of Greece such as Temple of Olympian Zeus in Agrigento, Temple of Olympian Zeus Athens and Temple of Olympian Zeus at Olympia, built in the fifth century BCE. However the construction of the Temple of Olympian Zeus Athens began in the 6th century BC during the rule of the Athenian tyrants, but the completion of the temple construction took place in the 2nd Century took place during the rule of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, the temple was left unfinished, because it is believed that the Greeks of the classical period thought it was against their idea of democracy to build on such a large and lavish scale. but the Temple was completed 650 years later after the construction began. The temple was ruined after the invasians of the barbarians in the 3rd century . This Greco Roman temple is situated in the south-east of the Acropolis and is also known as the Olympieion which was constructed on the site of an earlier temple, but the work was left unfinished when Pisistratus's son, Hippias, was overthrown in 510 BC as mentioned before. The temple is made of fine marble from Mount Pentelus , and a giant gold and ivory status of Zeus was set up in the inner part of the temple by emperor Hadrian, today there are only 15 columns of the 104 columns that stood originally as a part of the construction.
The Library of Hadrian: The Library of Hadrian is situated on the northern part of Acropolis, The structure was built by the Roman emperor Hadrian in 131/2 A.D. It was visited by Pausanias who had left a brief description of the library. The Library of Hadrian consists of a large, square, walled enclosure with a western entrance . The walls on three sides were made of Poros limestone, while the western wall was constructed of Pentelic marble. The place is called the Library of Hadrian" since the early 19th century A.D., and it is a modern name given to the piece of architecture : it is really a type of imperial Roman meeting place built by the emperor Vespasian in Rome, it was a multi-purpose area of arts, lectures and other cultural programs.
Hadrian's Arch - (Amalias Avenue): The Hadrian's Arch, located 325m southeast of Acropolis, was built to honor and celebrate the arrival of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. This triumphal gateway stretched from the center of Athens, Greece, to the structures on the eastern region including the Temple Of The Olympian Zeus. Built entirely of Pentelic marble, there are clear inscriptions on the arch, facing opposite directions (one facing northwest-towards the Acropolis / another facing southeast - towards the Olympeion) both honoring Theseus and Hadrian as founders.
Athen's Concert Hall: Athens Concert Hall is located on Vassilissis Sofias Avenue in Athens. It is also called the Megaron and was inaugurated in 1991 and consists of 4 halls in all, two large and two small ones. This concert hall hosts opera performances and the Megaro Moussikis Metro station lies just outside the hall, on line 3. The Theater of Dionysus: The Theatre of Dionysos Eleuthereus, on the southern slopes of the Athenian Acropolis, is one of the earliest preserved in Athens. It was during the 6th century BC. that performances were held at this open-air theater to honor Dionysus, the god of wine and the patron of drama; it hosted the City Dionysia festival. The theater earlier was simple and made of wood, which later had been replaced by marble stones. The festival of dionysia would involve theatrical performances of dramatical tragedies and comedies.
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