Mersin: Mediterranean secrets

by Recep Peker Tanıtkan

The İçel coast receives only a fraction of the visitors who flock to neighbouring Antalya. But a wealth of ancient sites and beauty spots surround its humid industrial heartland. There are special attractions for Christians and rafters - and ample rewards for anyone who fancies a little exploring.

Despite 326 kilometres of sun-soaked coastline, the province of İçel (Mersin) has quite a different character from the neighbouring Antalya “riviera” on which it borders. Here, too, history has left many unique traces on a landscape which stretches dramatically from the rarefied air of the Taurus mountains to the humidity of the seaward plain. The castles, caves, ruins and streams of the province are steeped in religion and superstition, mythology and legend.  So far, however, Mersin has remained a workbench and playground for its own inhabitants and the people of the surrounding region, and has failed to attract the attention it deserves from national and international tourists.

Town and country

Little more than a fishing village until 150 years ago, Mersin city has grown into an international port with a population of over half a million. If business is brisk in Mersin port, the adage runs, then all is well in Turkey. Together with adjoining Tarsus – itself home to over 200,000 inhabitants – Mersin makes up a major industrial conurbation comparing favourably in many ways with nearby Adana and with the rival port of Iskenderun, which it faces across the northeast corner of the Mediterranean.

Agriculture too is intensive, with greenhouse fruit and vegetable farms and irrigated plains that produce - inter alia – the bulk of Turkey’s citrus crop. Perhaps it is all this economic activity as much as the distance from major cities in western Turkey and Europe which has kept coastal towns like Silifke, Erdemli and Anamur of delta, castle and banana fame away from the beaten track, and confined picturesque Mut and rugged Gülnar to the logbooks of hardened travellers.

The Tarsus story

Tarsus alone is famous for its Ancient Road, for Cleopatra’s Gate, for the Cave of the Seven Sleepers, for the high-quality stonework of the old Tarsus houses on 42nd Street and most of all for the St. Paul Church and Well. Located in the Çarşıbaşı neighbourhood, the present thick-walled church is said to date back to the year 1102, and has long been preserved by the Ministry of Culture as a monument-museum. It is regarded as a place of pilgrimage by the Vatican.

“Paul of Tarsus” reputedly worked as a weaver of goat-hair tent and sail-cloth before becoming the leading disseminator of early Christianity. Among the ruins of the building he once inhabited stands a well the waters of which are believed to have medicinal properties. At one time, Christians on their way to Jerusalem would visit the Well and drink its holy water.

Disappearing saint

Three kilometres from Tarsus, the waters of the Tarsus Çayı (or River Cydnus) cascade from a height of up to five metres to and fives meters height to form a charming waterfall. During the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian, the course of the river-bed was changed, submerging the sites of earlier rock graves. In the summer months, when the water level is low, the rock graves can still be seen below the fall.

Meanwhile, Christians are also attracted to the Underground Church and Basilica of St Thecla, a follower of Paul considered to be the first female martyr, at Meryemlik near Silifke. The cave of the wealthy convert was regarded as a holy place by the Christians after she vanished into the rock in the last of her miraculous escapes from death and persecution. The underground praying cave and the ruins of the apse of the basilica later built on the spot can still be visited.

Monasteries and forts

Separately, the district of Mut is home to the Alahan Monastery, said to have been built in the name of Paul and Barnabas, another pioneer of Christianity. Perched at a height of 1,200 metres overlooking the Göksu valley, the monastery and the neighbouring complex have been compared to Trabzon’s famous Sümela Monastery. The complex, with its West and East Churches, is one of the rare monuments of the region which remains in good condition. Its columns and walls are decorated with aesthetic motifs in realistic style.

Not all of Mersin’s monuments are associated with Christianity. The Kızkalesi (Maiden’s Fortress), which has become the symbol of the province’s tourism industry, has a legend of its own. The fortress is situated on a small island 200 metres off the beach of what was once Korykos. Controlled by pirates in ancient times, the region was later administered by the priest kings Teukros and Airas. One of the kings learns from a fortune-teller that his daughter will be bitten by a serpent. To prevent this from happening, he confines his daughter to a castle on a small snake-free island. But one of the poisonous creatures hides in a basket of grapes sent to the island from the palace. Despite the legend, Kızkalesi remains a pleasant place to watch (or even to swim to) from the cafes on the beach

Back in time

Anamur Castle, or Mamure Castle, located six kilometres southeast of Anamur, was built by the Romans in the 3^rd and 4^th century. It is one of the best-preserved Anatolian castles. Surrounded by a moat and ramparts, it boasts three courtyards and 39 towers. Older fortifications are to be found in the Kanlıdivane ruins in the district centre of Erdemli. The inscription on the Hellenistic Tower, which was constructed in the 2nd century BC, states that it was built by Teukros in honour of Zeus. The holy ruins at Uzuncaburç, 30km from Silifke, include a columned way, ceremonial and victory gates, temples of Zeus and good luck, a theatre, a mausoleum and a necropolis.

The ancient city of Soloi-Pompeipolis is located near the coast 14 km west of Mersin. The ancient harbour road is marked by Corinthian columns with human figures. First established by the colonies of Rhodes in the 7th century BC, the city was named after the Sun (Soloi). It was eventually destroyed in an earthquake. Only 41 columns are visible out of the original 200.

Strange spaces

In Mersin, history and mythology stare back at you in the strangest of places. A track branching off from a village road some six kilometres from Kızkalesi leads to the “devil’s valley” stream. Nine niches have been carved into the steep sides of the valley and adorned with reliefs of the Roman eagle. There are also 2nd century reliefs of eleven men, four women and two children. Just off the Silifke-Mersin road are the curious pits or caverns of “Heaven and Hell”. In “Heaven”, there is a little church dedicated to Virgin Mary. “Hell” is said to be the place where Zeus defeated Typhon, the dragon of 100 flaming heads, and confined it before imprisoning it for ever beneath Mount Etna.

Beaches and relics are not the only pleasures on offer. To mention just one activity, the long dramatic stretch of the Göksu as it passes through canyons from Mut to Silifke is a favourite rafting venue even in summer. Also suitable for rafting are the Ermenek (a tributary of the Göksu) the Zamanti (a tributary of the Seyhan) and – for professionals – the narrow upper reaches of the Lamas.

(DIPLOMAT  -  April 2005  -  Ankara)