Tarsus: The chief city of Cilicia. It was distinguished for its wealth and for
its schools of learning, in which it rivalled, nay, excelled even
Athens and Alexandria, and hence was spoken of as "no mean city." It
was the native place of the Apostle Paul
(Acts 21:39) It stood on the
banks of the river Cydnus, about 12 miles north of the
Mediterranean. It is said to have been founded by Sardanapalus, king
of Assyria. It is now a ruinous Turkish town, called Tersous.
