Geography of Tarsus
Tarsus, an ancient city on the southern coast of Asia Minor, in what is now Turkey. Tarsus' skillfully engineered harbor on the Mediterranean Sea, and its location on a principal road through the Taurus Mountains, made it an important trading center.
When Tarsus was founded is not known. Historical records mention that it was conquered in the ninth century B.C. by the Assyrians. Thereafter it changed hands many times. In the first century B.C. it was made the capital of the Roman province of Cilicia. Tarsus was the birthplace of Saint Paul.
Population: 216,382.