Sanctuary of Asklepios

The sanctuary dedicated to Asklepios, the god of medicine, was one of the most important healing centres in the ancient Greek world. Patients arrived from across the Mediterranean seeking cures for illness, slept in the sacred dormitory, and received divine prescriptions in their dreams. The sanctuary was a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has been continuously excavated since 1881.

The ruins cover a large area and require walking — flat in most places. The remains include the Temple of Asklepios (mostly foundations), the tholos (a circular building whose labyrinthine substructure may have housed sacred snakes), baths, and guesthouses. The museum nearby is small but has excellent finds including reconstructed architectural elements, surgical instruments, and stone tablets recording miraculous cures.

things to do sight
A story
The patients who came to the sanctuary of Asklepios slept in the enkoimeterion — a special dormitory where the god was supposed to appear in dreams and prescribe a cure. Modern scholars debate whether the treatment was simply good rest and diet, or involved a more sophisticated combination of psychology, exercise, and herbal medicine. The sanctuary had baths, a gymnasium, and a stadium — the world's first health resort, essentially.