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Tarsus, the birthplace
of St. Paul, is now a mostly
modern industrial and commercial
city on Turkey's eastern Mediterranean
coast just west of Adana (map).
The historic city center holds
several buildings of interest:
— The Church Mosque (Kilise
Cami, or Baytimur Camii) in the city
center was built as a church about
300 AD, perhaps dedicated to St Paul.
After a thousand years as a church,
it was converted to a mosque in 1415
when the city was conquered from the
Byzantines by a Turkish Ramazanoglu
emir.
— The Roman-era Cleopatra's
Gate may have nothing to
do with Cleopatra, but it is a monumental
remnant of the ancient city's system
of defensive walls.
— St.
Paul's Well, an obviously
old stone well, may have nothing
to do with St. Paul, but it is
interesting to see, and perhaps
the main reason many travelers
stop in Tarsus.
— The few streets of historic
houses near St. Paul's Well
are interesting to walk through, a
glimpse at what the town looked like
for much of its history during the
last millennium.
— The Tarsus
Museum is housed
in a 16th-century medrese (theological
seminary).
Access to Tarsus (TAHR-sus,
pop. 200,000) is easy as it lies between Mersin and Adana,
with fast highways and frequent buses, minibuses and trains.
Maps
of Tarsus, Mersin & Mediterranean
Turkey
Distances & Travel
Times
Adana: 37
km (23 miles) E, 35 minutes
Alanya: 352
km (219 miles) W, 6.5 hours
Anamur: 237
km (147 miles) W, 4 hours
Ankara: 467
km (290 miles) NW, 8.5 hours
Antakya: 230
km (143 miles) NW, 3.5 hours
Iskenderun: 200
km (124 miles) SE, 4 hours
Istanbul: 909
km (565 miles) NW, 14.5 hours
Mersin (Içel): 23
km (14 miles) W, 20 minutes
Osmaniye: 107 km (66 miles)
E, 1.5 hour
Silifke: 123
km (76 miles) W, 2 hours
Mediterranean
Turkey
Southeastern
Turkey
Central Anatolia
Where
to Go
Turkey
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