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Muğla in southwestern Turkey delivers exactly what travelers expect from this corner of the Mediterranean: sunlit coastlines, rugged mountains and the ruins of long-fallen empires.
Yet beyond these well-trodden attractions, it hides something far less familiar — a place that attracts a secretive, devoted stream of visitors for reasons that have little to do with rest and relaxation.
About an hour’s drive north of the pretty coastal town of Akyaka sits Lagina, a site that’s home to the largest known temple dedicated to Hekate, a powerful Greek goddess associated with witchcraft, the moon, crossroads and communication with the dead.
While worship of most other ancient Greek or Roman deities has been confined to history, Hekate, or Hecate, remains a subject of reverence, attracting a global following of devotees, some of whom travel to the sanctuary dedicated to her to leave offerings.
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