Mount Olympus, home of the ancient Greek gods, vies for World Heritage status

By — Costas Kantouris, Associated Press Costas Kantouris, Associated Press By — Elena Becatoros, Associated Press Elena Becatoros, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/mount-olympus-home-of-the-ancient-greek-gods-vies-for-world-heritage-status Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Mount Olympus, home of the ancient Greek gods, vies for World Heritage status World Jul 19, 2026 4:21 PM EDT LITOCHORO, Greece (AP) — Snow-capped for much of the year, Mount Olympus, mythological home of ancient Greece's 12 Olympian gods, has captured the imagination through the millennia. Rising to 2,918 meters (9,573 feet) from a base practically at sea level, the ancient Greeks believed the throne of Zeus, king of the gods, stood on the highest of its craggy, often mist-shrouded peaks. WATCH: Why the ancient story of 'The Odyssey' still resonates today Now, modern-day Greeks hope their tallest mountain will be inducted into UNESCO's World Heritage List as a mixed cultural and natural site. The nomination is to be discussed when the World Heritage Committee meets in Busan, South Korea, from Sunday through July 29. "Olympus is our life. It is the place we grew up in," said Evagelos Geroliolios, mayor of Dion-Olympus, based in Litochoro, the mountain's main town. "It is the place we see every day, but at the same time, it is also a place which carries with it myth, history, biodiversity, extraordinary beauty and a very great cultural weight." Seat of the gods Few locations are as central to ancient Greek mythology as Mount Olympus. It was here that Zeus was said to have established his court after overthrowing his father, Cronus, in a 10-year war that ended the reign of the Titans. Interest in Olympus may receive another boost with the theatrical release this week of Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey," a new adaptation of Homer's epic, in which the mountain serves as the home of Zeus and the Olympian gods who influence Odysseus' journey. On one of Olympus's lower peaks, excavations have uncovered an open-air sanctuary, with the oldest finds dating to the Hellenistic period, which ran from 323 B.C. to 30 B.C. According to Greece's original UNESCO nomination, the sanctuary is believed to have been one mentioned by the ancient philosopher and historian Plutarch, who in the 2nd century wrote of processions to one of Olympus's peaks for animal sacrifices to Zeus. WATCH: A look at some of 2025's new additions to UNESCO World Heritage List The mountain retained religious significance into the Christian era. Α chapel on the peak of Prophet Elias, at 2,803 meters, is believed to be the highest altitude chapel in the Christian Orthodox world. The mountain's Enipeas Gorge holds the remains of a monastery founded in 1542, while a roughly 20-minute walk from there leads to the Holy Cave of St. Dionysios, a chapel built into a cave from where a small spring flows, believed to carry holy wat