Category: Mediterranean Region

SELEUCIA PERIA Seleucia Peria (Çevlik), north of town, was founded around 300 B.C. and by the time St. Paul and St. Barnabas is made their first missionary journey here it was a busy port. The most interesting monument to see is the Tunnel of Titus, built to divert rain water. Even by today’s standards it […]

Iskenderun, formerly Alexandretta, was founded by Alexander the Great after his victory over the Persians on the Plain of Issos. Today it is a busy commercial center and port with a fine harbor. Excellent hotels, restaurants and cafes line the sea front surrounded by parks and palm trees. The culinary specialty of Iskenderun is delicious […]

ANTAKYA (ANTIOCH)   Antakya, the biblical city of Antioch, lies on the Asi River (Orontes) on a fertile plain surrounded by the grant mountains. Once the capital of the Seleucid kings, it was notorious for its wealth and luxury In Roman times, the city continued to thrive with commerce and culture. It featured prominently in early […]

Tarsus East of Mersin, on the edge of fertile Cukurova Plain, is Tarsus, the birthplace of St. Paul. Of ancient origin, the city was invaded and destroyed on several occasions and only a few monuments of particular interest remain: The Cleopatra Gate thru which Mark Anthony and Cleopatra passed when they came to Tarsus to […]

138 km from Silifke inland the town of Anamur is nestled in the mountains with banana plantations surrounding it. Just west of town on a beautiful beach are the ruins of ancient Anomorium with double ramparts, a theater, odeon bath and necropolis. Situated in tiers above the it’s perfect for a climb to top which […]

Tasucu, with good accommodations for tourists, is a resort town with sandy beaches and a harbor. A regular sea bus and ferry boat service connects the town with Girne in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Ovacik, 44 km west of Tasucu, is a quiet spot well-known for its fisherman’s wharf and beach. The Peninsula […]

Located slightly inland, Silifke (90 km from Mersin spreads out at the foot of a hill. Crowned with a citadel this piece of high ground was formerly the acropolis of Clician Seleucia. In the town a Roman bridge crosses the ancient Calycadnos River today called the Goksu Ataturk once stayed in a local turn-of-the-century house […]

Set in the heart of Cukurova (Cilician) Plain, Turkey’s fourth largest city, Adana is at the center of the rich agricultural region and the thriving textile industry. The Taskopru (Stone Bridge) built by Hadrian and repaired by Justinian, spends the River Seyhan which bisects the town; only 14 of the bridge’s original 21 arches still […]

MERSIN Mark Antony gave the lovely Cilician shores, the land between Alanya and the Syrian Border to Cleopatra, as a wedding present. Also associated with the region’s past is St. Paul, a native of Tarsus. Today the region is known for its fertile soil which produces abundant crops, and for the hospitality of the region’s […]

The large popular resort center of Alanya lies at one end of a rocky promontory which juts out into the Mediterranean between two long sandy beaches. A 13th-century Seljuk fortress – one of the most magnificent sights on the coast – crowns the headland. About 150 towers punctuate the walls of the well preserved, double […]