A high‐temperature optical fiber thermometer made from single crystal sapphire has been developed for use from 600 to approximately 2000 °C. The device consists of a small blackbody cavity which is sputtered on the end of a thin (0.25–1.25‐mm diameter, 0.05–0.30‐m length) sapphire fiber, a connecting low‐temperature glass fiber, and a conventional optical detector. The radiance from the cavity is used to measure its temperature. The present instrument is calibrated at a single temperature and uses the fundamental radiation laws to extrapolate to other temperatures. It is accurate and has a high sensitivity and rapid temporal response. There appear to be a number of applications of the device both in science and industry.