Tarsus, an ancient city with roots dating back to the Bronze Age, is one of the oldest continually inhabited settlements in history. Located on the western part of the Cilician plain along the Cydnus River, Tarsus boasts a rich cultural and historical tapestry renowned for its contributions to philosophy, education, and trade. During the Roman Empire, Tarsus was the capital of the province of Cilicia. It was the scene of the first meeting between Mark Antony and Cleopatra and the birthplace of Paul the Apostle.

Coordinates: 36°55’03.2″N 34°53’34.3″E

Tarsus has a storied history spanning several millennia. Archaeological evidence suggests human habitation in the region dates back to the Neolithic period, in the 8th millennium BC. The city gained prominence during the Bronze Age and flourished under Hittite control. Tarsus became a significant player in the eastern Mediterranean trade network in antiquity, fostering connections with various civilisations, including the Assyrians and Persians. The Hittites called the region Kizzuwatna and made Tarsa their capital. The city’s strategic location contributed to its prosperity, as it served as a bridge between the Anatolian plateau and the coastal regions.

During the Hellenistic Period, Tarsus was known as Antiochia on the Cydnus and thrived as a centre for learning and philosophy. Tarsus also played a role in Alexander the Great’s military campaigns in 333 BC. As Alexander marched through Asia Minor, he reached Tarsus, which was then under Persian control. Whilst at Tarsus, Alexander fell seriously ill after swimming in the Cydnus. The city was eventually taken by Alexander, marking a key victory in his conquest of the Persian Empire. Tarsus then became a base for his further expeditions into the Levant and beyond.

Pompey brought Tarsus under Roman rule in 67 BC after crushing the feared Cilician pirates. It became the capital of the Roman province of Cilicia. To flatter Julius Caesar, it was briefly named Juliopolis. In 41 BC, the city was the scene of the first meeting between Mark Antony and Cleopatra. Tarsus reached its zenith during this period, experiencing economic prosperity and cultural flourishing. Dio Chrysostom calls the city “the greatest of all towns in Cilicia and a metropolis from the start” (Oration 34.7).

Hadrian visited Tarsus in AD 117 at the beginning of his reign while travelling back to Rome from Antioch (read here). Following the Emperor’s visit, Tarsus took the name Hadriane, and the Hadrianeia Olympia games were established, linked with the city’s new status as neokoros (temple warden). Tarsus also minted coins with obverses of Antinous as hero wearing the hemhem crown, issued sometime after his death in Egypt in 130. At Tarsus, Antinous received the epithets and attributes of both Dionysos and Apollo and was probably also assimilated to the local river god Kydnos.

Cilicia’s first koinon temple was built at Tarsus, most probably for the cult of Hadrian, which made the city neokoros for the first time. Tarsos’ first known use of neokoros is on coins with
obverses of Antinous (RPC III, 3289), while the temple appears on reverses issued from the time of Hadrian to that of the young Commodus. Tarsus became twice neokoros under the reign of Commodus, whose city’s association with Heracles attracted his attention. The decastyle temple of Commodus at Tarsos may have been found at the site known as “Donuktaş”, where foundations of a massive temple podium (ca. 106,80 m long and 50,70 m wide) have been identified to the east of Tarsus. Tarsus’ third neokoria was granted by Valerian and Gallienus around AD 253-260.

Coin of Hadrian minted in Tarsus showing a decastyle temple with the legends ΑΔΡΙΑΝΩΝ ΤΑΡϹΕΩΝ ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΕΩϹ (Hadriane Tarsus, the metropolis of Cilicia) and ΚΟΙΝΟC ΚΙΛΙΚΙΑC (Koinon Cilicia) on the architrave. (RPC III, 3274).

Restitution of the Great Temple of Tarsus in Cilicia.
Author: Franck Devedjian (Wikimedia)

According to the Acts of the Apostles, Saul, the future Saint Paul, was born in Tarsus, a Roman citizen, although he was sent to study in Jerusalem and became a prominent member of the Jewish community there. Tarsus’ significance persisted into the Byzantine era, with the city remaining an important centre for trade and commerce. However, like many ancient cities, Tarsus faced challenges from invasions and shifting power dynamics. The Arab conquest in the 7th century AD and subsequent Seljuk Turkish rule marked transformative periods for Tarsus. The city eventually became part of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century.

Classical Tarsus lies deep beneath the modern city, and recent excavations have revealed its ancient urban plan. A paved, collonaded street running east-west with shops and other buildings was unearthed in the heart of modern Tarsus in 1993. The road is about 6.5 m wide and paved with polygonal black basalt blocks, some 2 m wide. The street appears to have been built in the middle of the 2nd century BC during the Seleucid period, but the collonaded portico that flanked the street was built between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD.

A long stretch of the Via Tauri between Tarsus and the Cilician Gates (known locally as Roma Yolu) can still be seen today, 12 miles north of the city near the village of Saglikli. The road was paved with polygonal limestone slabs and bordered with curbs. Caracalla repaired the Via Tauri in AD 217 by widening the tracks after the road collapsed. The repairs were done during Caracalla’s eastern expedition against the Parthians.

PORTFOLIO

The colonnaded street runs in an east-west direction, with shops and other buildings on both sides.

The road is about 6.5 m wide and paved with polygonal black basalt blocks, some 2 m wide.

The street appears to have been built in the middle of the 2nd century BC during the Seleucid period, but the colonnaded portico that flanked the street was built between the 2nd and 4th centuries AD.

The conglomerate foundations of a massive temple podium (ca. 106,80 m long and 50,70 m wide), today called “Donuktaş”. It probably dates to the time of Commodus when the city became twice *neokoros*.

The massive Temple of Tarsus was one of the largest and most important in antiquity. It was a Corinthian temple facing northeast, large enough to have had ten columns along the facade (49.60 m long) and twenty-one along the flank (105.30 m). Set on a podium 11.57 m high.

The Justinian “Cleopatra’slt by “the Byzantines in the 6th century AD over the earlier course of the Cydnus River (today’s Berdan River).

Cleopatra’s Gate is a city gate named after the Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII. It was built in either the Byzantine or the Abbasid period on the site of an earlier gate.

The popular name of the Gate was Kancık Kapı (feminine Gate) during the late Ottoman period. However, in the early 20th century, the name Cleopatra kapısı (“Cleopatra’s Gate”) replaced the former name.

The so-called Saint Paul’s Well is a water well made of mostly rectangular-cut stone. It measures 1.15 metres (3 ft 9 in) in diameter at the top and has a depth of 38 metres (125 ft).

Saint Paul’s Church. According to tradition, the Saint Paul Church was built in 1102, but the present structure, a domeless basilica, was built (or rebuilt) much later, in 1862.

The Interior of Saint Paul’s Church features ceiling frescoes of Jesus in the middle and of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John on the two sides.

The Via Tauri between Tarsus and the Cilician Gates.

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January 15, 2024November 9, 2025 by followinghadrian Categories: Cilicia Leave a comment

Soli (later Pompeiopolis) is an ancient port city in Cilicia, 11 km west of Mersin in present-day Turkey. Founded in the 6th century BC by Rhodian colonists from Lindos, Soli developed into a prosperous city known for its cultural and intellectual achievements. It was renowned for its philosophers, including the famous Stoic philosopher Chrysippus and two distinguished poets, Philemon and Aratus. Soli was re-established in the 1st century BC by Pompey, who renamed the city of Pompeiopolis and used it as his naval base during his campaign against the Cilician pirates. The town served as a significant centre for trade and commerce due to its strategic location along the Cilician coast. Over time, Pompeiopolis experienced various cultural influences, reflecting the region’s diverse history. The city flourished during the Roman and Byzantine periods but eventually declined, like many ancient cities, due to economic shifts and invasions.

Coordinates: 36° 44′ 31″ N, 34° 32′ 24″ E

Soli was first mentioned by Xenophon as a maritime town of Cilicia between the mouths of the rivers Lamus and Pyramus, from each of which its distance was about 500 stadia. It was supposedly founded by Greek colonists from Lindos on Rhodes. Over time, this village grew into a significant city and became the province’s capital when the Persians ruled Asia Minor. Soli prospered under Achaemenid hegemony, minting coins to the Persian standard until Alexander the Great drove the Persians out of Cilicia in 333 BC. In Hellenistic times, under the rule of the Seleucid dynasty, Soli continued to grow and prosper until its destruction by Tigranes II (King of Armenia and the Seleucid Empire) in 83 BC.

In 67 BC, Pompey the Great restored the city and colonised it with survivors from his successful campaign against the Cilician pirates. He renamed the site Pompeiopolis. Pompeiopolis likely absorbed elements of the older Soli, contributing to the region’s continuous historical development. The city was then surrounded by new defensive walls, and many public buildings and roads were built.

Pompey the Great, Augustan copy of a 70-60 BC original.
Venice Museo Archeologico Nazionale

Only a few remains of ancient Pompeiopolis have survived, including the harbour basin and columns of a colonnade road that led from the northern gate of the city to the port. A theatre seen by travellers at the beginning of the 19th century is no longer visible. The harbour of Pompeiopolis played a crucial role in the city’s prosperity, serving as a hub for maritime trade and commerce. The harbour was strategically located along the Cilician coast, facilitating connections with other Mediterranean regions. The well-designed harbour infrastructure, including docks and loading facilities, contributed to the city’s economic growth.

In AD 129/30, the province of Cilicia was visited by Hadrian, who donated funds for the expansion of the port in Pompeiopolis, but the work was completed only in the reign of Antoninus Pius, his adopted son. The completion of the harbour renovations was celebrated on the coinage. The coin’s reverse depicts a two-storey harbour and a divine figure lying down within it, probably representing a local river god. A lighthouse is visible at the end of the western breakwater. On the roof of the harbour, jar-like objects are perched at regular intervals, and a torch is seen between the first two. These torches are thought to have been used to illuminate the harbour. In AD 525, Pompeiopolis was completely destroyed by a powerful earthquake and never regained its former importance.