ABSTRACT
For centuries Tarsus, where St. Paul's College was established, was the most famous city in Cilicia. St. Paul calls it "the renowned city of Cilicia". In the first century BC Strabo proclaimed Tarsus superior to Athens and Alexandria as a center for philosophical studies. Tarsus is ten miles away from the Mediterranean Sea, eighty feet above sea level. North of the city begin rolling hills which rise to the Taurus Mountains thirty miles away. Fruits and vegetables were plentiful, as in Marash. In Tarsus the Cydnus River, flowing through the center of the city, provided ample water for homes and gardens. Among Christians, Tarsus has significance as the birthplace of St. Paul. Among Armenians it has double significance, not only as St. Paul's birthplace but also as a political and cultural center of the Cilician Armenian kingdom. The city of Tarsus was founded about 2000 BC by Ionian colonists and became highly prosperous.
