Believe it or not, the world-famous, superstar architect isn’t a recent invention: the ancient Greeks had their own Frank Lloyd Wrights and Frank Gehrys too! Some of the most famous ancient sites and temples in Greece are thought to have been designed by the same person Reports that he too was named Frank are as of yet unconfirmed.
When you think of a stunning Greek temple, you probably picture the majestic Parthenon, rising over the Greek Acropolis. But did you know that the same guy who drew up the plans for the Parthenon also designed the temple to Apollo Epikourios at Bassae, way out in the southwestern Peloponnese? Somewhat disappointingly, his name was Iktinos, not Frank, and supposedly he was also responsible for a gigantic feast hall in Elefsina that has since been destroyed by way of Visigoth invasion. Either way, if you’re interested in exploring the best that Greece’s antiquity has to offer, I highly recommend a trip to Bassae. The country surrounding is is absolutely beautiful, and if you plan a trip with us, we’ll even show you the secret waterfall nearby (sneak peek in the photo!) that’ll absolutely take your breath away. It’s definitely a site worth visiting.
It’s not quite as big as the Parthenon, and it’s not perched high on a big rock surrounded by a metropolis thousands of years in the making, but that isn’t a bad thing! It’s about 15 miles east of the Adriatic Sea, and the site is so out there and remote that pretty much everybody totally forgot about it for a thousand years until a British explorer stumbled across it around 1812. Because of that, it’s one of the most purely preserved ancient sites in all of Greece, and was only fully excavated within the last thirty years or so. In fact, it’s so delicately intact that the temple still has a huge tent over it, preserving it from the elements. It’s a great stop to make on a tour of southern and western Greece—you might stand by it, more than a thousand feet above sea level, looking around at the Peloponnese wilderness, wondering what the ancients must have seen and felt in that spot more than two thousand years ago as they came to worship at this architectural and artistic marvel. It’s been so untouched by man that you might just be seeing the exact same thing! All in all, Bassae is a great outing for both the eyes and for the imagination. Please ask us about planning a trip!
Amini usiamini, msanifu-ujenzi maarufu ulimwenguni, superstar si uvumbuzi wa hivi karibuni: Wagiriki wa kale walikuwa na Frank Lloyd Wright wao wenyewe na Frank Gehry pia! Baadhi ya maeneo maarufu ya kale na mahekalu nchini Ugiriki yanafikiriwa kuwa yalibuniwa na mtu huyo huyo. Wakati unafikiria hekalu la Kigiriki lenye kupendeza, yaelekea unafikiria Parthenon yenye fahari, inayoinuka juu ya Akropolis ya Kigiriki. "Hata hivyo, kuna uwezekano kwamba mtu aliyepanga ujenzi wa Parthenon pia ndiye aliyepanga ujenzi wa hekalu la Apollo Epikouros huko Bassae, kusini-magharibi mwa Peloponnesus.""" Kwa kushangaza, jina lake lilikuwa Ictinus, na si Frank, na inadaiwa kwamba alikuwa pia na daraka la kujenga jumba kubwa la karamu huko Elefsina ambalo tangu wakati huo limeharibiwa na uvamizi wa Wasigothi. Kwa vyovyote vile, ikiwa una nia ya kuchunguza bora ambayo Ugiriki ya kale ina kutoa, napendekeza sana safari ya Bassae. Nchi inayozunguka ni nzuri kabisa, na ikiwa unapanga safari na sisi, hata tutakuonyesha maporomoko ya maji ya siri karibu (tazama picha!) hiyo itakuondoa kabisa pumzi yako. Kwa hakika ni mahali panapofaa kutembelewa. Si kubwa kama Parthenon, na si juu ya mwamba mkubwa kuzungukwa na mji mkubwa wa maelfu ya miaka katika kufanya, lakini hiyo si kitu kibaya! Ni karibu maili 15 mashariki ya Bahari ya Adriatic, na tovuti ni hivyo nje huko na mbali kwamba karibu kila mtu kabisa kusahau kuhusu hilo kwa miaka elfu mpaka mvumbuzi wa Uingereza stumbled juu yake karibu 1812. Kwa sababu hiyo, ni mojawapo ya maeneo ya kale yaliyohifadhiwa kabisa katika Ugiriki yote, na yalichimbuliwa kabisa ndani ya miaka thelathini iliyopita au zaidi. Kwa kweli, hekalu hilo halijaharibiwa sana hivi kwamba bado lina hema kubwa juu yake, linaloilinda kutokana na hali mbaya za hewa. Ni kuacha kubwa ya kufanya katika ziara ya kusini na magharibi ya Ugiriki - unaweza kusimama na yake, zaidi ya elfu futi juu ya usawa wa bahari, kuangalia karibu na Peloponnese jangwa, kujiuliza nini kale lazima kuwa na kuona na kuhisi katika mahali hapo zaidi ya miaka elfu mbili iliyopita kama wao alikuja kuabudu katika ajabu hii ya usanifu na kisanii. Imehifadhiwa bila kuguswa na mwanadamu hivi kwamba huenda ukawa unaona kitu kilekile! Kwa ujumla, Bassae ni mahali pazuri pa kutembea kwa macho na kwa mawazo. Tafadhali tuulize kuhusu kupanga safari!