The history of the Mersin region (province of Cilicia) begins from the 7th millennium BC. e. In the II millennium BC. e. the province went to the Hittite kingdom under the name of Cilicia. In 102 BC. e. Cilicia was conquered by Rome. From 84 B.C. e. was part of the Armenian Empire of Tigran the Great. In the Middle Ages, there was an overload between Byzantium, the Arabs and the Seljuks. From 1080 to 1375 in Cilicia, the republican Cilician Armenian state, later captured by the Mamluks. In 1515 it was conquered by the Ottoman Turks.

Ancient writers praised the fertility of the Cilician plain, which produced grapes, sesame, millet, wheat and barley in abundance. The goats of Cilicia were also famous - probably the same breed as the Angora. The province produced a lot of saffron, good raisin wine, the best hyssop, pomegranate apples. Currently, Mersin is the main agricultural region of Turkey.

One of the largest historical legacies in the world has been preserved here. The Mersin region has hundreds of fortresses, palaces, temples, aqueducts, bas-reliefs, amphitheaters, thermae, thousands of dwellings, tombs, burials. Most of the architectural monuments remain practically not destroyed for centuries.

Here you can see the ruins of the ancient cities of Pompeiipolis, Tarsos (a large city compared to Babylon), Neopolis (at one time it was a million-plus city, on a par with Athens and Rome), Krikos, Kilindria, Seleucia and Anemurion; Cleopatra's Gate (where Cleopatra met Mark Antony); fortresses Anamur, Meidandzhik, Kyz, Mut, Silifke; Alakhan Monastery, Khogya Tekla Basilica; settlements of Uzundzhaburch, Akkale, Gozlyukule; Tarsus Mosque, Lal Agy Mosque; Mosaic museums of the cities of Erdemli, Silifka, Tarsus and Narlikuyu, as well as the legendary mosaic "Three Graces".

It will take several months to see all the architectural monuments in Mersin. The main architectural monuments are marked with brown road signs. There are guides in Turkish, English and German.