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Tarsus is an ancient city in south central Turkey, once a centre of learning and trade and the capital of the region of Cilicia.
It was the birthplace of Saul of Tarsus, the man known to the world as the Apostle Paul (Acts 9:11, 21:39, 22:3). A Roman citizen raised in a Jewish family and schooled in Greek thought, Paul carried all three worlds within him.
Sites in the town include an old well traditionally linked to his family and a Roman road and gate.
Tarsus is where the greatest missionary of the church was formed, long before the road to Damascus. To visit is to see the soil that grew the mind and the heart behind so much of the New Testament.
Pilgrims come to honour the beginnings of Paul, the tentmaker and scholar whose letters still teach the faith, and to remember that God prepares his servants long before he calls them.
Why is Tarsus famous? It is the birthplace of the Apostle Paul.
Where is it? In south central Turkey.
What can you see? Saint Paul's well, and the old Roman road and gate.
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