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The Roman road in Cilicia (Turkish : Roma yolu) is a part of a Roman road in Mersin Province, Turkey.
The road is thought to be a part of the main road connecting Cilicia to Capadocia during antiquity. The northern terminus was likely in the town of Bahçeli, a part of the ancient city of Tyanna in Niğde Province. The southern terminus was in Tarsus, a major district center in Mersin Province and an important ancient city. The modern highway distance between these two locations is 148 kilometres (92 mi). But presently only a small section of the road has been unearthed. The unearthed road starts from a hill at about 37°03′N34°54′E / 37.050°N 34.900°E around Sağlıklı village which is 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from Tarsus, and continues about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the north. The average altitude of the road is 300 metres (980 ft) to 400 metres (1,300 ft). At the southern end of the unearthed section, where Tarsus is in the view, there is a gate which was either an arch gate or a border check point of Cilicia. There is also a very short road in Tarsus urban fabric [1] called Ancient road which has been discovered only recently. But whether the two roads are connected is unclear.
The road is thought to have been constructed in the 1st century AD by the Roman Empire. [2] But according to a restoration inscription next to the road, it was rebuilt or repaired during the reign of Caracalla in the 3rd century. The original gate, dated to 5th century, was destroyed at some point, and the present gate was reconstructed much later.
The road is stone pavement [3] and there are stone parapets on each side of the road. The width of the road excluding the parapet is about 3 metres (9.8 ft).
The outer dimensions of the cut stone gate is 8.8 m. wide x 5.2 m. high ( 28.98 ft high x 17 ft wide). [4] [5] The inner width is 4.11 metres (13.5 ft).
The Cilician Gates or Gülek Pass is a pass through the Taurus Mountains connecting the low plains of Cilicia to the Anatolian Plateau, by way of the narrow gorge of the Gökoluk River. Its highest elevation is about 1000m.
Tarsus is a municipality and district of Mersin Province, Turkey. Its area is 2,029 km2, and its population is 350,732 (2022). It is a historic city, 20 km inland from the Mediterranean Sea. It is part of the Adana-Mersin metropolitan area, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Turkey. Tarsus forms an administrative district in the eastern part of Mersin Province and lies at the heart of the Çukurova region.
Mersin Province, formerly İçel Province, is a province and metropolitan municipality in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast between Antalya and Adana. Its area is 16,010 km2, and its population is 1,916,432 (2022). The provincial capital and the biggest city in the province is Mersin, which is composed of four municipalities and district governorates: Akdeniz, Mezitli, Toroslar and Yenişehir. Next largest is Tarsus, the birthplace of Paul the Apostle. The province is considered to be a part of the geographical, economical and cultural region of Çukurova, which covers the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye and Hatay.
Cleopatra's Gate is a city gate of Tarsus, in Mersin Province, Turkey, named after the Egyptian (Ptolemaic) queen Cleopatra VII.
Meydancık Castle is a castle ruin in Mersin Province, Turkey. The original name was Kirshu and the name of the ruin during Ottoman times was Beydili Kale.
Ancient road at is the unearthed section of an ancient road in the historical city of Tarsus, Turkey.
Aphrodisias, sometimes called Aphrodisias of Cilicia to distinguish it from the town of the same name in Caria, was a port city of ancient Cilicia whose ruins now lie near Cape Tisan in Mersin Province, Turkey.
Sağlıklı is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Tarsus, Mersin Province, Turkey. Its population is 1,212 (2022). It is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to Tarsus and 37 kilometres (23 mi) to Mersin. Sağlıklı is famed for the 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) Roman road, the starting point of which is near the village.
Altından geçme is a gate in the city wall of Tarsus, Mersin Province, Turkey, originally part of a Roman bath.
Çandır Castle the medieval Armenian site of Paperon, is a fortification in Mersin Province, Turkey.
Dağlı Castle is a castle ruin in Mersin Province, Turkey
Kızkalesi is an island castle situated on a small island in Mersin Province of Turkey.
Karakabaklı is an archaeological site in Mersin Province, Turkey.
Kızlar Kalesi is a castle ruin in Mersin Province, Turkey.
Baç Bridge is a bridge in Tarsus in Mersin Province, Turkey
Caracalla's Inscription is a rock-carved ancient Roman inscription on the Taurus Mountains, southern Turkey dedicated to the Roman emperor Caracalla.
Tarsus Old Mosque is a mosque converted from a historic church located in Tarsus ilçe of Mersin Province, southern Turkey.
Donuktaş is a Roman temple in Tarsus ilçe (district) of Mersin Province, southern Turkey.
Gülek Castle is a medieval castle in Mersin Province, Turkey.
Saint Paul's Well is a water well in Tarsus, Turkey, claimed to have belonged to Paul the Apostle when he lived there. The well, along with Saint Paul's Church, is on the UNESCO Tentative list of World Heritage Sites in Turkey and is under the control of the public authorities.
