The Valley of the Temples is the former ancient Greek city of Akragas, which was founded in 581 BC. In 406 BC. the city was attacked by Carthage and was partially destroyed. After 20 years, the Carthaginians were expelled with the help of Corinth. Most of the temples in the valley belong to the periods of 5-6 centuries BC. In 210 BC. Akragas was captured by the Romans, who renamed Akragas Agrigentum.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, in the 7th century, the inhabitants left Agrigentum as there was a constant threat of invading Arab tribes. Most of the population preferred to move to a more protected place - on top of a hill, where the modern city of Agrigento is located.

The most ancient temple of the valley is the Temple of Hercules. This temple was built in the 6th century BC. Of the 38 columns of the temple, only eight remained.
The Concordia, or temple, is one of the best preserved ancient Greek temples in the world. It was preserved due to the fact that in the 6th century the temple was converted into a Christian church, which saved the pagan temple from destruction. In 1748, the church was demolished, although even today you can see the remains of arches that can be seen through the gaps in the roof.

Not far from the remains of ancient fortifications are the ruins of the Temple of Hera, which in Roman times was called the Temple of Juno. The temple was destroyed in the Middle Ages by an earthquake. On the columns of the temple, traces of the fire of 406 BC can be discerned.

In the western part of the Valley of the Temples are the ruins of the Temple of Olympian Zeus. This temple was never completed, and the earthquake finally destroyed the skeleton of the temple.

In the archaeological museum of the Valley of the Temples, you can see the finds that were made at the excavation site. The museum has a good collection of ancient Greek ceramics, as well as an eight-meter statue of atlas, which was found during excavations of the Temple of Zeus.