The architects built the temple in the Doric order. The columns did not have a base and their capitals were simple without decoration. It was surrounded by six columns on the short side and thirteen columns on the long side, serving for both stability and the aesthetics of the building. Doric columns almost always feature fluting down their length, numbering up to twenty flutes. In the case of the Temple of Poseidon, the architects decided to design the columns with sixteen flutes, most likely to minimize the accumulation of sea salt between the lines. The architects remain unknown, but they are credited with another famous temple, the Temple of Hephaestus in the ancient Agora in Athens. The temple has a pronos on the east side, the waiting room, a main cellar called Naos, the room at the center of the building, and a nopistonos, a small room at the back to store the offerings. The purpose of the temple was to house the colossal statue of Poseidon, made of ivory and gold, which was standing in the main cellar. Herodotus informs us that the Athenians celebrated their great quadrennial festival for Poseidon. This festival took place only outdoors, not inside the temple, with pilgrims from all around Greece playing music and sacrificing animals at the altar.