Description of the attraction
Selinunte is an ancient city founded by the Greeks in 628 BC. in the province of Trapani on the southern coast of Sicily. Today, in its place is the village of Marinella. The name of the city comes from the Greek name for celery, which grew in abundance in its vicinity. An image of this plant can be found on coins from the ancient Greek period.
Once Selinunte, located in that part of Sicily, from where the sea route to the African coast is visible, was of great strategic importance, because the Greeks and Romans constantly waged wars with Carthage, located on the site of present-day Tunisia. According to the excavations, the city had two artificial harbors, one of which - Mazara - was fortified and served as a warehouse for goods. In the center of Selinunte was the walled acropolis. Here one could see numerous temples, luxurious buildings and various sculptures - in terms of its aesthetic development, the city was not inferior to the largest metropolises of Greece. This is also evidenced by works of art, which are found in abundance today during excavations.
The first time Selinunte was destroyed in 408 BC, then in 249 BC. Finally, already in our time - in 827 - it was finally destroyed by the Saracens. Today, on the site of the once prosperous city, you can see only the ruins of three ancient temples, located on the top of a small hill, which is bounded in the west by a swampy valley. All temples were built in the Doric style. The foundations and numerous fragments of columns and other architectural fragments have been preserved from them, sufficient to restore the general appearance of all three temples. The largest of them was 70 meters long and 25 meters wide and was surrounded by 24 columns.
Outside the city walls of Selinunte, you can see traces of two other large structures built of stone, the purpose of which has not yet been determined. There are also the ruins of three more temples, much larger in size than the above. The northernmost of these had 25 columns, 110 meters long and 55 meters wide. It was probably one of the most outstanding temples of antiquity. Only three of the columns remain intact, but scattered around the site are many debris from various architectural fragments, forming some of the most impressive ruins in the world. Two other temples are also destroyed. The southernmost - the so-called Temple of Hera - was partially restored in the 20th century.
