Apollon Smintheion
Smintheion sanctuary was one of the important cult centers of Troas in ancient times. Remains of a prehistoric settlement dating to around 5000 BC were identified in the Apollon Smintheus Sanctuary (Smintheion), one of the important sanctuaries of the Late Hellenistic Period in Anatolia. The Temple of Apollon Smintheus is located at the beginning of the valley between the north-west and north-east of Gülpınar Town, formerly known as Külahlı, in a place called Bahçeler-içi.
The Temple of Apollon Smintheus in Gülpınar also draws attention with its architectural design and style, as well as the reliefs that take its subject from Homer's Iliad Epic for the Hellenistic period.
The temple, which was built in the Ionic style around 150 BC, is the only example today in the Troas region in Northwest Anatolia. The pseudodipteros (false two-row column) plan design applied by the Architect Hermogenes, who signed the Hellenistic Age Anatolian architecture, was used in the temple.
