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Silifke ( grc-gre, Σελεύκεια, ''Seleukeia'', la, Seleucia ad Calycadnum) is a town and district in south-central Mersin Province, Turkey, west of the city of
Mersin Mersin (), also known as İçel, is a large city and a port on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Mersin Province, Mersin (İçel) Province. It is made up of four municipalities and dis ...
, on the west end of
Çukurova Çukurova () or the Cilician Plain (''Cilicia Pedias'' in antiquity), is a large fertile plain in the Cilicia region of southern Turkey. The plain covers the easternmost areas of Mersin Province, southern and central Adana Province, western Osman ...
. Silifke is near the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of the
Göksu The Göksu ( Turkish for "sky water" also called ''Geuk Su'', ''Goksu Nehri''; la, Saleph, grc, Καλύκαδνος, translit=Calycadnus) is a river on the Taşeli plateau (Turkey). Both its sources arise in the Taurus Mountains—the northern ...
River, which flows from the nearby Taurus Mountains, surrounded by attractive countryside along the river banks.


Etymology

Silifke was formerly called ''Seleucia on the Calycadnus'' — variously cited over the centuries as ''Seleucia'' n''Cilicia'', ''Seleucia'' n, of''Isauria'', ''Seleucia Trachea'', and ''Seleucia Tracheotis'' —. The city took its name from its founder, King Seleucus I Nicator. The ancient city of Olba ( tr, Oura) was also within the boundaries of modern-day Silifke. The modern name derives from the Latin ''Seleucia'' which comes from the Greek ''Σελεύκεια''.


History


Antiquity

Located a few miles from the mouth of the
Göksu The Göksu ( Turkish for "sky water" also called ''Geuk Su'', ''Goksu Nehri''; la, Saleph, grc, Καλύκαδνος, translit=Calycadnus) is a river on the Taşeli plateau (Turkey). Both its sources arise in the Taurus Mountains—the northern ...
River, Seleucia was founded by Seleucus I Nicator in the early 3rd century BC, one of several cities he named after himself. It is probable that there were already towns called Olbia (or Olba) and Hyria and that Seleucus I merely united them giving them his name. The city grew to include the nearby settlement of
Holmi Holmi or Holmoi ( grc, Ὅλμοι), or Holmia, also possibly called Hermia, was a Greek town of Cilicia Tracheia with a harbor, a little to the south-west of Seleucia ad Calycadnum. When Seleucia ad Calycadnum was founded, the inhabitants of H ...
(in modern-day
Taşucu __NOTOC__ Taşucu (Greek: Ὅλμοι, Holmoi) is a small town of Silifke, Mersin Province, Turkey. It obtained the status of Municipality after the local elections in Turkey, 1955. By the new regulations on the constitution, it legally got the sta ...
) which had been established earlier as an
Ionia Ionia () was an ancient region on the western coast of Anatolia, to the south of present-day Izmir. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements. Never a unified state, it was named after the Ionian ...
n colony but being on the coast was vulnerable to raiders and pirates. The new city up river was doubtless seen as safer against attacks from the sea so Seleucia achieved considerable commercial prosperity as a port for this corner of
Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coas ...
(later named
Isauria Isauria ( or ; grc, Ἰσαυρία), in ancient geography, is a rugged, isolated, district in the interior of Asia Minor, of very different extent at different periods, but generally covering what is now the district of Bozkır and its surrou ...
), and was even a rival of Tarsus. Cilicia thrived as a province of the Romans, and Seleucia became a religious center with a renowned 2nd century Temple of Jupiter. It was also the site of a noted school of
philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
and literature, the birthplace of
peripatetic Peripatetic may refer to: *Peripatetic school, a school of philosophy in Ancient Greece *Peripatetic axiom * Peripatetic minority, a mobile population moving among settled populations offering a craft or trade. *Peripatetic Jats There are several ...
s Athenaeus and
Xenarchus Xenarchus ( el, Ξέναρχος; 1st century BC) of Seleucia in Cilicia, was a Greek Peripatetic philosopher and grammarian. Xenarchus left home early, and devoted himself to the profession of teaching, first at Alexandria, afterwards at Athen ...
. The stone bridge was built by the governor L. Octavius Memor in 77 AD. Around 300 AD
Isauria Isauria ( or ; grc, Ἰσαυρία), in ancient geography, is a rugged, isolated, district in the interior of Asia Minor, of very different extent at different periods, but generally covering what is now the district of Bozkır and its surrou ...
was established as an independent state with Seleucia as the capital.


Christianity

Early
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
bishops held a Council of Seleucia in 325, 359, and 410. Seleucia was famous for the tomb of the virgin Saint Thecla of Iconium, converted by
Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
, who died at Seleucia, the tomb was one of the most celebrated in the Christian world and was restored several times, among others by the Emperor Zeno in the 5th century, and today the ruins of the tomb and sanctuary are called ''Meriamlik''. In the 5th century the imperial governor (''comes Isauriae'') in residence at Seleucia had two legions at his disposal, the
Legio II Isaura Legio II ''Isaura'' was a ''pseudocomitatensis'' Roman legion, levied no later than under Diocletian, and possibly already present under Probus. As their name suggests, II ''Isaura'' and its twin legion III ''Isaura'' were guarding the Isauria ter ...
and the
Legio III Isaura Legio III ''Isaura'' was a '' pseudocomitatensis'' Roman legion, levied no later than under Diocletian, and possibly already present under Probus. As their name suggests, III ''Isaura'' and its twin legion II ''Isaura'' were guarding the Isauria t ...
. From this period, and perhaps later, dates the Christian
necropolis A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead". The term usually im ...
, west of the town, which contains many tombs of Christian soldiers. According to the '' Notitia Episcopatuum'' of the Patriarchate of Antioch, in the 6th century, the
Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...
of Seleucia had twenty-four suffragan sees. In 705 Seleucia was captured by the Arab armies of Islam and was recovered by the Byzantines. Thus by 732 nearly all the ecclesiastical province of Isauria was incorporated into the Patriarchate of Constantinople; henceforth the province figures in the ''Notitiae'' of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, but under the name of '' Pamphylia''. In the ''Notitiae'' of Leo VI the Wise (ca. 900) Seleucia had 22 suffragan bishoprics; in that of Constantine Porphyrogenitus (ca 940) it had 23. In 968 Antioch again fell into the power of the Byzantines, and with the Province of Isauria, Seleucia was allocated to the Patriarchate of Antioch. We know of several metropolitans of this see, the first of whom,
Agapetus Agapetus ( grc, Ἀγαπητός, link=no, ''beloved'') may refer to: * ''Agapetus'' (caddisfly), a genus of caddisflies ** List of Agapetus species * Agapetus (deacon) (), a deacon of the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople * Agapetus (ph ...
, attended the Council of Nicaea in 325; Neonas was at the Council of Seleucia in 359; Symposius at the Council of Constantinople in 381; Dexianus at the
Council of Ephesus The Council of Ephesus was a council of Christian bishops convened in Ephesus (near present-day Selçuk in Turkey) in AD 431 by the Roman Emperor Theodosius II. This third ecumenical council, an effort to attain consensus in the church th ...
in 431; Basil, a celebrated orator and writer, whose conduct was rather ambiguous at the Second Council of Ephesus and at the beginning of the Council of Chalcedon in 451;
Theodore Theodore may refer to: Places * Theodore, Alabama, United States * Theodore, Australian Capital Territory * Theodore, Queensland, a town in the Shire of Banana, Australia * Theodore, Saskatchewan, Canada * Theodore Reservoir, a lake in Sask ...
was at the Fifth Ecumenical Council in 553;
Macrobius Macrobius Ambrosius Theodosius, usually referred to as Macrobius (fl. AD 400), was a Roman provincial who lived during the early fifth century, during late antiquity, the period of time corresponding to the Later Roman Empire, and when Latin was ...
at the
Sixth Ecumenical Council The Third Council of Constantinople, counted as the Sixth Ecumenical Council by the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches, as well by certain other Western Churches, met in 680–681 and condemned monoenergism and monothelitism as heretical a ...
and the Council in Trullo in 692. No longer a residential see, Seleucia in Isauria has been included in the list of titular sees of the Catholic Church, which has made no new appointments of a titular bishop to this eastern see since the Second Vatican Council.''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013, ), p. 968


Turkish period

In the 11th century, the city was captured by the Seljuk Turks; they met with resistance and in 1137, Seleucia was besieged by Leon of
Cilician Armenia The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (Middle Armenian: , '), also known as Cilician Armenia ( hy, Կիլիկեան Հայաստան, '), Lesser Armenia, Little Armenia or New Armenia, and formerly known as the Armenian Principality of Cilicia ( hy, ...
. During this period of struggle between Armenians, Byzantines, Crusaders, and Turks, a stronghold was built on the heights overlooking the city. On June 10, 1190, the Emperor
Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt on ...
was drowned trying to cross the Calycadnus, near Seleucia during the Third Crusade. In the 13th century Seleucia was in the possession of the Hospitallers, who lost it to the Karamanid Principality in the second half of the 13th century, and then it ended up in the hands of the
Ottomans The Ottoman Turks ( tr, Osmanlı Türkleri), were the Turkic founding and sociopolitically the most dominant ethnic group of the Ottoman Empire ( 1299/1302–1922). Reliable information about the early history of Ottoman Turks remains scarce, ...
under general
Gedik Ahmet Pasha Gedik Ahmed Pasha (; died 18 November 1482) was an Ottoman statesman and admiral who served as Grand Vizier and Kapudan Pasha (Grand Admiral of the Ottoman Navy) during the reigns of sultans Mehmed II and Bayezid II. Very little was known a ...
in 1471. Until 1933, Silifke was the capital of İçel Province, but then, İçel and Mersin provinces were merged. The merged province took the name of İçel but with its administrative centre at
Mersin Mersin (), also known as İçel, is a large city and a port on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Mersin Province, Mersin (İçel) Province. It is made up of four municipalities and dis ...
. Finally in 2002 the name of İçel was replaced with that of Mersin.


Economy

The economy of the district depends on agriculture, tourism and raising livestock. The town of Silifke is as a market for the coastal plain, which produces beans, peanuts, sesame, banana, orange, lemon, cotton, grapes, lentils, olives, tobacco, and canned fruits and vegetables. An irrigation project located at Silifke supplies the fertile Göksu delta. In recent years there has been a large investment in glasshouses for producing strawberries and other fruit and vegetables in the winter season. Silifke is also an industrial town, well-connected with other urban areas and producing beverages, chemicals, clothes, footwear, glass, plastics, pottery, and textiles.


Climate

Silifke has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen climate classification ''Csa'') with hot and dry summers and mild and wet winters.


Administrative structure


Towns

* Akdere *
Arkum Arkum at is a part of Silifke district which itself is a part of Mersin Province, Turkey. It is in the alluvial plain at the east of Göksu River. In the vicinity of Arkum, the Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to t ...
*
Atakent Atakent is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey. Geography Atakent is a Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coastal town in Silifke district which itself is a part of Mersin Province. Alluvial plains of Silifke lie in the west of the town and hil ...
*
Atayurt Atayurt is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey Geography Atayurt is in the fertile alluvial plain of Silifke district which itself is a part of Mersin Province. The town is on the D 400 highway. The distance to Mersin is and to Silifke is . Th ...
*
Narlıkuyu Narlıkuyu (; in Turkish) is a small coastal town in Mersin Province, Turkey. History A small 4th century building, once part of a bath and baptism complex financed by Poimenios of Corycus, survives to the present in the area (''see'' Narl� ...
* Silifke *
Taşucu __NOTOC__ Taşucu (Greek: Ὅλμοι, Holmoi) is a small town of Silifke, Mersin Province, Turkey. It obtained the status of Municipality after the local elections in Turkey, 1955. By the new regulations on the constitution, it legally got the sta ...
*
Uzuncaburç Uzuncaburç is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey. Geography Uzuncaburç is in the rural area of Silifke district which is a part of Mersin Province. It is located in the valleys of Toros Mountains at the north of Silifke with an altitude of . ...
*
Yeşilovacık Yeşilovacık (former Hacıisaklı) is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey. Geography Yeşilovacık is a Mediterranean coastal town at . It is a part of Silifke district which in turn is a part of Mersin Province. The town is on the state highw ...


Villages


Main sights

* The caves of "Heaven and Hell" ('Cennet ve Cehennem'), which have collapsed in two places revealing deep holes in the ground. *''Narlıkuyu'' is an attractive village, where people from
Mersin Mersin (), also known as İçel, is a large city and a port on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey. It is the provincial capital of Mersin Province, Mersin (İçel) Province. It is made up of four municipalities and dis ...
come to eat fish and enjoy the seaside. * The town of Silifke has many well preserved ancient ruins including: ** The prominent remains of the castle high on a rock above the town, ** The city walls, ** A large water tank (
Tekir ambarı Tekir may refer to: * Erdinç Tekir (born 1966), Turkish member of the IHH * Tekir, located at the ancient settlement of Knidos Knidos or Cnidus (; grc-gre, Κνίδος, , , Knídos) was a Ancient Greece, Greek city in ancient Caria and part ...
) cut into the rock, ** An extensive necropolis of rock-cut tombs with inscriptions. Image:Silifke castle walls.jpg, Outer walls of the castle of Silifke Image:Silifke castle arrival.jpg, Silifke castle Image:Silifke castle bar.jpg, Bar next to the castle of Silifke Image:Silifke castle panel.jpg, Touristic panel describing the castle of Silifke Image:Cave church of Aya Tekla.jpg, Aya Tekla Church Image:Tekir ambarı Silifke Mersin Province.jpg,
Tekir ambarı Tekir may refer to: * Erdinç Tekir (born 1966), Turkish member of the IHH * Tekir, located at the ancient settlement of Knidos Knidos or Cnidus (; grc-gre, Κνίδος, , , Knídos) was a Ancient Greece, Greek city in ancient Caria and part ...
cistern


Life and culture

The
Turkmen Turkmen, Türkmen, Turkoman, or Turkman may refer to: Peoples Historical ethnonym * Turkoman (ethnonym), ethnonym used for the Oghuz Turks during the Middle Ages Ethnic groups * Turkmen in Anatolia and the Levant (Seljuk and Ottoman-Turkish desc ...
community of Silifke has a strong tradition of folk music and dance including songs such as ''The Yogurt of Silifke'' (where the dancers imitate the actions of making yogurt) and another one where they wave wooden spoons about as they dance. The cuisine includes breakfast of leaves of unleavened bread ('' bazlama'') with a dry sour cottage cheese (
çökelek Çökelek ( az, Şor) is a fermented and acid/heat coagulated fresh cheese from Turkey and Azerbaijan. It can be produced from heating fermented buttermaking by-products such as buttermilk (), though skimmed milk yogurt can also be used as a starti ...
) or fried meats. Many other dishes feature bulgur wheat. The annual ''Silifke Yoghurt Festival'' takes place in May.


See also

* Other Seleucias * Acacius of Caesarea *
Assyrian Church of the East The Assyrian Church of the East,, ar, كنيسة المشرق الآشورية sometimes called Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East,; ar, كنيسة المشرق الآشورية الرسول� ...
* Aya Tekla Church * Council of Rimini *
Cyprus Memorial Cemetery in Silifke The Cyprus Memorial Forest ( tr, Kıbrıs Hatura Ormanı), a.k.a. Cyprus Memorial Cemetery ( tr, Kıbrıs Şehitliği), is a memorial forest including a symbolic military cemetery and an open-air museum dedicated to the Turkish Armed Forces, Turki ...
*
Çukurova Çukurova () or the Cilician Plain (''Cilicia Pedias'' in antiquity), is a large fertile plain in the Cilicia region of southern Turkey. The plain covers the easternmost areas of Mersin Province, southern and central Adana Province, western Osman ...
*
Dana Adası Dana Island ( tr, Dana Adası, also called ''Kargıncık Adası'', Greek Latin ''Pithyussa'') is a small Mediterranean island of Turkey. Geography Dana Adası lies parallel to south coast of Turkey at in the province of Mersin. The distance ...
* Eudoxius of Antioch *
Işıkkale Işıkkale (meaning the "castle of light") is an ancient settlement in Turkey. Işıkkale is located at in the rural area of Silifke ilçe (district) of Mersin Province. Işıkkale was established in the Taurus Mountains. Its distance from ...
*
Karakabaklı Karakabaklı is an archaeological site in Mersin Province, Turkey. Geography Karakabaklı is situated next to Karadedeli village (now a remote neighborhood of Atakent) in the rural area of Silifke district at . In the antiquity this region was ...
*
Gökkale Gökkale is an ancient villa rustica in Silifke district of Mersin Province, Turkey Geography Gökkale at is situated to the northwest of the İmamlı village. Imamlı can be reached via a 15 km (9.3 mi) road from Atakent which is on Turk ...
*
Meydankale Meydankale is the archaeological site of a ruined castle in Mersin Province, Turkey. Geography Meydankale is situated between the İmamlı, Silifke, İmamlı and Yenibahçe, Silifke, Yenibahçe villages in the rural area of Silifke district. In ...
*
Narlıkuyu Narlıkuyu (; in Turkish) is a small coastal town in Mersin Province, Turkey. History A small 4th century building, once part of a bath and baptism complex financed by Poimenios of Corycus, survives to the present in the area (''see'' Narl� ...
*
Seleucid Empire The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...
*
Silifke Museum Silifke Museum is in Silifke district of Mersin Province, Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula ...
*
Sinekkale Sinekkale (literally "The castle of flies") is the archaeological remains of a big villa rustica in Turkey. The original name is unknown. Location Sinekkale is at in the rural area of Silifke ilçe (district) of Mersin Province. Its distanc ...
*
Uzuncaburç Uzuncaburç is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey. Geography Uzuncaburç is in the rural area of Silifke district which is a part of Mersin Province. It is located in the valleys of Toros Mountains at the north of Silifke with an altitude of . ...
*
Silifke Castle Silifke Castle ( tr, Silifke kalesi) is a medieval castle in Turkey. Geography The castle is in Silifke district of Mersin Province. It is situated to the west of Silifke city center, to the south of Göksu River (''Calydanus'' of the antiquity) ...
* Silifke Göksu Anadolu Lisesi


References

*


External links


District governor's official website

District municipality's official website

Silifke Guide and Photo Album

susanoğlu

Extensive photo site of Silifke, the temple and nearby sights

Carefully documented photographic survey and plan of Silifke Castle
{{Authority control Çukurova Populated places in Mersin Province Seleucid colonies in Anatolia Catholic titular sees in Asia Districts of Mersin Province