Mersin

Mersin is the capital city of Mersin Province, in Turkey. It is located in the South Anatolia Region, to the southeast of the country, south of the Taurus Mountains, by the Mediterranean coast.

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Since Mersin has always been a port city through history, the area was inhabited since 7th century BC, and was in the interest of many states and civilizations such as Arabs, Abbasids, Egyptian Tulunids, Seljuk Turks, Mongols, Crusaders, Armenians, Mamluks, Anatolian beyliks and Ottomans.

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The Amaesian geographer Strabon refers to the region as Cilicia which was divided into Rugged Cilicia (Cilicia Trachea) and Flat Cilicia (Cilicia Pedias). As both Cilicias' capitol was Tarsus to which the Cilician Gates opened to, Mersin was the major port of the region being close to Tarsus. When Constantinople became the trade center, investments and tradesmen also shifted there, causing Mersin to lose its shine.

Mersin: Mersin is the capital city of Mersin Province, in Turkey. It is located in the South Anatolia Region, to the southeast of the country, south of the Taurus Mountains, by the Mediterranean coast....

Province: This article is about political regions. See geologic province for geological meanings....

Turkey: The Republic of Turkey or Turkey (Turkish: T?rkiye), is a bicontinental country that is located mainly in the Middle East (Southwest Asia) and partly in Southeast Europe; The Anatolian peninsula comprises most(97%) of its territory, and is situated between the Black Sea on the north and the Mediter...