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Portara

Portara, meaning "great door," is the unfinished marble gateway that remains from the ancient Temple of Apollo on the islet of Palatia at the entrance to the harbor of Naxos Town on the Greek island of Naxos. The structure dates to the late 6th century BCE and was part of a planned temple complex that would have been the largest temple to Apollo in the Cyclades. Construction was abandoned around 520 BCE after political upheaval and the fall of the local tyranny, leaving the doorway as its only surviving element. The Portara marks the entrance to the temple terrace and faces the harbor.

The monument consists of two massive, monolithic marble jambs supporting a horizontal lintel. It measures roughly

Today, Portara is one of the best-known symbols of Naxos and a popular site for visitors and

6
meters
in
height
and
about
3
meters
in
width,
crafted
from
locally
quarried
Naxian
marble.
The
islet
of
Palatia
is
linked
to
Naxos
Town
(Chora)
by
a
short
causeway,
and
the
doorway
overlooks
the
harbor.
locals,
especially
at
sunset.
It
stands
as
a
landmark
of
the
island’s
ancient
past
and
a
reminder
of
the
ambitious,
unfinished
temple
project
that
once
dominated
the
harbor
area.
The
Portara
is
protected
as
an
archaeological
monument
and
is
part
of
the
cultural
heritage
of
Greece.