Tarsus, << TAHR suhs >> (pop. 245,761), a city in south-central Turkey, is an agricultural center. Tarsus was the birthplace of Saint Paul. Ancient Tarsus was an important trading center, surrounded by fertile land. The Cydnus (now called the Tarsus) River linked the city with a good harbor on the Mediterranean Sea, and an important trade road ran through Tarsus.
Tarsus was first mentioned in the records of the Assyrians, a group of people from western Asia. The Assyrians probably seized control of the city about 850 B.C. from Greek colonists. After 67 B.C., the Romans took control of Tarsus. The city was ruled by the Roman Empire, and later by the Byzantine Empire, for several hundred years. After the A.D. 600’s, many different groups ruled Tarsus. In the 1500’s, the Ottomans made Tarsus part of the Ottoman Empire.
