Didim is shaped as a peninsula surrounding Mugla on the east coast with huge inlet of Akbuk town, Aegean sea on the west and east coast, Lake Bafa and the Menderes River on the northern coast. 106 km's to Aydin provenience, 53 km' to Söke town, 73 km's to Kusadasi, 110 km's to Bodrum. Spread to 300 km2. of area.
15 years ago, the people from large cities around Turkey such as Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir first came to Altinkum ("altin: gold" + "kum:sand") and started to build their own summer houses, holiday homes. when Turkey's economy started to decline those people found very hard to survive in the big cities most of the summer house owners who were mainly retired people have decided to move into the small resorts such as Altinkum.
The location of today's Didim used to take part around the Apollo temple at the ancient Didyma town. they called the area "Yoran" (name derives from Yeuwani) until the biggest earthquake in 1955-1956. which used to look like "castle". but just after the earthquake government supported locals and build them modern concrete houses down on the south west part of the old civilization later on called "Yenihisar", meaning "yeni: new" + "hisar: castle".
People of Yenihisar used to go to Söke for their weekly shopping and Akköy used to be the biggest town of those days. But just after tourism, the place itself have turned into a rapidly growing holiday resort for tourists. the unfertile tobacco fields derived ancient Didyma (meaning twins remarkable at the temple of Apollo Artemisia and Apollo twin sister and brothers) became very dear and poor owners of those fields are now businessmen (most of them) owner of their hotels, restaurants and bars, etc.. The name was changed into "Didim" which is one and only in Turkey including a large area in its borders with the towns and villages leading to it became the town centre.
