Silifke

Sister cities

• Cihanbeyli
• Lefka
• Bergama
• Haßloch

History

Located a few miles from the mouth of the Göksu 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 (in modern-day Taşucu) which had been established earlier as an Ionian 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 Cilician port, and was even a rival of Tarsus. The Silifke Bridge was built by the governor L. Octavius Memor in 77 AD. Early Christian bishops held the Council of Seleucia on 27 September 359. Seleucia was famous for the tomb of the virgin Saint Thecla of Iconium, converted by Saint Paul, 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 and the Legio III Isaura. The Christian necropolis, west of town, which contains many tombs of Christian soldiers, likely dates from this period. According to the Notitia Episcopatuum of the Patriarchate of Antioch, in the 6th century, the Metropolitan of Seleucia had 24 suffragan sees. By 732 nearly all the ecclesiastical province of Isauria wrre incorporated into the Patriarchate of Constantinople; henceforth the province figures in the Notitiae of the Patriarchate of…