Tarsus is a city and a large district in Mersin Province, Turkey, 15 km (9 mi) from the city of Mersin and near (40 km) to the city of Adana.

With a history going back 7,000 years Tarsus has long been an important stop for traders to the Orient, a focal point of many civilisations including the Ancient Romans when Tarsus was capital of the province of Cilicia, scene of the romance between Mark Anthony and Cleopatra and birthplace of Saint Paul.

Geography

Located on the mouth of the Tarsus Çay (Cydnus) which empties into the Mediterranean Sea, Tarsus is a junction point of land and sea routes connecting the Cilician plain (today called Çukurova), central Anatolia and the Mediterranean sea. The climate is typical of the Mediterranean region, summers very very hot, winters chilly and damp.

Tarsus has a long history of commerce and is still a commercial centre today, trading in the produce of the fertile Çukurova plain, and also Tarsus is a thriving industrial centre refining and processing that produce for export. Industries include agricultural machinery and spare parts, textiles, fruit-processing, brick building and ceramics.

Agriculture is an important source of income, half of the land area ot district is farmland (1,050 km²) and most of the remainder is forest and orchard. The farmland is mostly well-irrigated, fertilised and managed with the latest equipment.

Climate

In Tarsus, at the junction point of land and maritime ways connecting Çukurova to Central Anatolia in Mediterranean Region typical Mediterranean climate is dominant.

Life in Tarsus today

Tarsus has slightly more in the way of culture (cinema, theatre etc.) than most Turkish country towns but in many ways still has a small town feel, people walk in the road rather than on the sidewalk. Predictably the people of the mountain forests in the hinterland have an even quieter rural existence.

The local cuisine includes: hummus; şalgam (pickled turnips); tantuni (a sandwich of grilled meats; the tiny pizzas called "fındık lahmacun"; and cezerye (a carrot sweet).