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 (see 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 A.D., perhaps dedicated to St. Paul. After 1.000 years as a church, it was converted to a mosque in 1415 when the city was conquered from the Byzantines by a Turkish Emir (ruler) Ramazanoglu.
Today, Tarsus is a modern city with not many sights of interest to visitors, but a few are worth of praise. St. Paul's Well is in a courtyard, long believed to be the original site of St. Paul's house, approx. 300 meters north of the Republic Area in Kizilmurat District. Archaeological studies have shown St. Paul's Well and surrounding areas to have layers of Roman, Byzantium and Ottoman Period settlements. The site is a pilgrimage destination for some and the water from the well is believed to have healing powers. 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 contains artworks of the Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods, Roman and Byzantine coins, baked soil pots, and diverse artefacts. The Cleopatra Gate, in western Tarsus on the road to Mersin, dates to around 40 B.C. In the upper part of Saglikli Village, 15 km from Tarsus, are the remains of a Roman Road. Clinging to a cliff face on a sharp slope near Altindere, is the most important and prestigious monastery of the area: The Virgin of the Black Rock.
