Tackling Tarsus

For our first non-wedding related excursion around Mersin, we headed to the very old town of Tarsus. It is known both for being very old and for being the birthplace of St. Paul. Having spent my formative years in a town that bears his name, it was neat to explore his hometown.

First was the not-that-impressive St. Paul's church. It was a little church that may or may not have been a place related to him in any way. To quote the information board out front:

"As recorded in the New Testament, Paul, who was originally from Tarsus, undoubtedly established many churches. Nevertheless, there is no evidence to support that this is one of them."

Ok, then! Moving on...

Near the town center was the last remaining gate of the old town, which provided a nice vantage point for taking in a large Turkish flag flying overheard. Not too far away was a statue of a man with a menacingly large mace. He was a sultan in 1071, but that is all I learned about him.

Walking straight down some very cool, very old streets, lined with very old houses, we eventually came to St. Paul's house, which including his well.

The well itself still works, and the museum staffer helpfully pulled up a bucketful. Local legend has it that the water is holy. I drank some for good measure, adding it to the list of different kinds of luck I've tried to cultivate on this trip, starting in the temples in Japan.

Just down the road was another road. This road, however, was an excavated portion of an old Roman Road that ran through town. Amazing to think of what is buried in the earth here, not 20 feet deep...

After a quick car ride, we reached our final stop in Tarsus, the town waterfall of the Berdan River. Altered by Emperor Justinian of the Byzantine Empire in the 500s, this waterfall now runs over an old Roman cemetery, eroding the gravestones. It's also the place for locals to get wedding pictures taken.