Dedicated to Athena, the Goddess of Victory, this small yet elegant temple is perched daringly on the edge of a southwestern cliff of the Acropolis. The beautiful temple is the most carefully designed and decorated, giving it the well-deserving title of “pearl of the Acropolis”.

Built in the Ionian style out of pristine white marble and adorned with gorgeous wall friezes and exterior reliefs, many of which have now been moved to the Acropolis Museum, the temple truly looks like a pearl on the lip of the Acropolis. However, you can still admire the reliefs decorating the temple’s roof and imagine what it would have looked like in its earlier splendour. With mathematically perfect proportions and an amazing amount of care going into its design, the Temple of Athena Nike looks beautiful when viewed from any angle.

Interestingly, the statue of Athena Nike in Athens does not have wings – a feature all, if not most other statues of her have. It is said that this statue was built without wings such that Athena could not fly away. Thus, showing how much the ancient Athenians treasured their patroness.