New Testament Sites in Turkey

_{Except for a brief stay in Egypt as an infant, Jesus lived, ministered and died within the borders of Israel, but much early church history following Pentecost took place in Turkey. The birthplace of the Christian Church may be Jerusalem, but Turkey is where the Church first thrived. In fact, many of the Jewish pilgrims who were on hand at Pentecost had travelled from Turkey (Mesopotamia, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia).}

_{The origin of the church in Turkey goes back to the events immediately following the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ in Judea.
On the Day of Pentecost Jews from Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia were gathered in Jerusalem (Acts 2:9 - 10), many of these “became-eye-witnesses” to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and Peter’s subsequent sermon. Some were undoubtedly among the three thousand who believed on Jesus that day (Acts 2:41). Returning home, these were the first Christians in Anatolia. One of the most interesting accounts recorded by the early church father Eusebius in his Church History (1.13) is a letter of Abgar V, king of Edessa. Abgar, dying of disease, wrote a letter, requesting Jesus to heal him. In his reply Jesus stated that he could not come but that a disciple would be sent later. After Pentecost Thaddeus was sent by the apostles. When he prayed for Abgar, the king was instantly healed. Abgar and his subjects believed in Jesus, and the kingdom converted to Christianity.  Syriac Christianity, which persists in the region of Mardin, traces its historical origins to this tradition. 
Although Jesus had commanded the early believers to preach the gospel outside of Jerusalem (to the ends of the earth) (Acts 1:8), this did not happen until the martyrdom of Stephen. Jews from Cilicia and Asia found a willing accomplice to this murder in Saul (Acts 6:9; 7:58 - 8:1). Born a citizen of Tarsus, Saul had been brought to Jerusalem as a youth to receive formal training in Judaism (Acts 21:39; 22:3). On the road to Damascus Saul was dramatically converted, and after a time in Arabia and Jerusalem he returned to Tarsus (Acts 9:30; Gal.1:21). In the meantime those scattered by Stephens death travelled as far north as Antioch, preaching first to Jews and then to Gentiles. A church quickly formed with many believing in the Lord (Acts 11:19 - 24). Barnabas brought Saul from Tarsus to assist disciplining these new believers, and at Antioch these believers were first called Christians (Acts 11:25 - 26).}

^{Adramyttium (Edremit) Acts 27:2 
Adramyttium is an ancient city of Mysia in the Roman Province of Asia. The only reference in the New Testament to it is in Acts 27:2, which says that Paul, while being taken a prisoner from Caesarea to Rome, embarked upon a ship belonging to Adramyttium.
The city, with a good harbour, stood at the head of the Gulf of Adramyttium facing the island of Lesbos, and at the base of Mt. Ida.
When Pergamum became the capital of Asia, Adramyttium grew to be a city of considerable importance, and the metropolis of the Northwest part of the province. There the assizes were held.
After St. Paul's appeal before Herod Agrippa II and Festus to state his case to Caesar in Rome, he was taken by a centurion of the Roman Imperial guard (Acts 27:1) to the harbour at Caesarea, where they found a ship of Adramyttium to convey them to Asia Minor. From Asia Minor, they anticipated finding another ship to Rome (27:6). The contrary winds at Cyprus (27:4) were likely a foreshadowing that a Mediterranean storm was approaching. The storm system brought a fierce North-Easter the wind that brought down the boat they caught in Asia Minor, wrecking that ship.
Acts 27:2 - Embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to places on the coast of Asia, we put to sea; Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.}

_{Antioch (Antakya) Acts 6:5; 11:19-30; 13:1-3; 14:26-15:3; 15:22-35; 18:22-23 
Antioch  In 301 BC, shortly after the battle of Ipsus, which made him master of Syria, Seleucus Nicator founded the city of Antioch, naming it after his father Antiochus.
The city was enlarged and embellished by successive kings of the Seleucid Dynasty, notably by Seleucus Callinicus (246-226 BC), and Antiochus Epiphanes (175-164 BC). In 83 BC, on the collapse of the Seleucid monarchy, Antioch fell into the hands of Tigranes, king of Armenia, who held Syria until his defeat by the Romans fourteen years later. In 64 BC the country was definitely annexed to Rome by Pompey, who granted considerable privileges to Antioch, which now became the capital of the Roman province of Syria.
Already a splendid city under the Seleucids, Antioch was made still more splendid by its Roman patrons and masters. It was the queen of the East, the third city, after Rome and Alexandria, of the Roman world. About 8 km (5 miles) distant from the city was the suburb of Daphne, a spot sacred to Apollo and Artemis.
This suburb, beautified by groves and fountains, and embellished by the Seleucids and the Romans with temples and baths, was the pleasure resort of the city, and Daphnic morals became a by-word. From its foundation Antioch was a cosmopolitan city; Jews, Greeks, Syrians and Romans constituted the main elements of the population.
In the early history of Christianity, Antioch occupies a distinguished place. Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch, was one of the first deacons (Acts 6:5). Antioch was the cradle of Gentile Christianity and of Christian missionary enterprise. It was at the instance of the church at Antioch that the council at Jerusalem decided to relieve Gentile Christians of the burden of the Jewish law (Acts 15). 
Antioch was Paul's starting-point in his three missionary journeys (Acts 13:1; Acts 15:36; 18:23), and thither he returned from the first two as to his headquarters (Acts 14:26; Acts 18:22). Here also the term Christian, doubtless originally a nickname, was first applied to the followers of Jesus (Acts 11:26). The honourable record of the church at Antioch as the mother-church of Gentile Christianity gave her a pre-eminence which she long enjoyed. The most distinguished of her later sons was John Chrysostom. The city suffered severely from earthquakes, but did not lose its importance until the Arab conquest restored Damascus to the first place among Syrian cities. Today, Antioch is a Turkish city and is known as Antakya.
Acts 6:5 - These words pleased the whole multitude. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch;
Acts 11:19 - They therefore who were scattered abroad by the oppression that arose about Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except to Jews only; 
Acts 11:20 - But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus.
Acts 11:22 - The report concerning them came to the ears of the assembly which was in Jerusalem. They sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch,
Acts 11:26 - When he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. It happened that for a whole year they were gathered together with the assembly, and taught many people. The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch;
Acts 13:1 - Now in the assembly that was at Antioch there were some prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul;
Acts 15:22 - Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole assembly, to choose men out of their company, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas called Barabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brothers;
Acts 15:35 - But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
Acts 18:22 - When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the assembly, and went down to Antioch.
Galatians 2:11 - But when Peter came to Antioch, I resisted him to his face, because he stood condemned.}

_{Asia Acts 2:9; 6:9; 16:6; 19:10, 22, 2627; 20:4, 16,18; 21:27; 24:19; 27:2; Rom 16:5; 1 Cor 6:19; 2 Cor 1:8; 2 Tim 1:15; 1 Peter 1:1; Rev 1:4
Asia, a district in the West of that part of western Asia which is now called Asia Minor. It included Mysia, Lydia and Caria. The term Asia Minor was first used in the 4th century AD to signify all the land south of the Black Sea and west of Armenia.
Besides the older the older countries of Mysia, Lydia, Caria, it also embraced a part of Phrygia, several of the independent coast cities, the Troad, and apparently the islands of Lesbos, Samos, Patmos, Cos and others near the Asia Minor coast (Acts 16:6; Acts 19:10, 27).
Its history previous to 133 BC coincides with that of Asia Minor of which it was a part. However, in that year, Attalus III (Philometer), king of Pergamum, bequeathed his kingdom to the Roman Empire. It was not until 129 BC that the province of Asia was really formed by Rome. Its first capital was Pergamum, the old capital of Mysia, but in the time of Augustus, when Asia had become the wealthiest province of the Empire, the seat of the government was transferred to Ephesus.
In 285 AD the province was reduced in size, as Caria, Lydia, Mysia and Phrygia were separated from it, and apart from the cities of the coast little remained. The history of Asia consists almost entirely of the history of its important cities, which were Adramyttium, Assos, Cnidus, Ephesus, Laodicea, Miletus, Pergamum, Philadelphia, Sardis, Smyrna, Thyatira, Troas, etc. The name “Asia” occurs many times in the New Testament. 
Acts 2:9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia,
Acts 6:9 But some of those who were of the synagogue called The Libertines, and of the Cyrenians, of the Alexandrians, and of those of Cilicia and Asia arose, disputing with Stephen.
Acts 16:6 When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
Acts 19:10 - This continued for two years, so that all those who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.
1 Corinthians 16:19 - The assemblies of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you much in the Lord, together with the assembly that is in their house.
2 Corinthians 1:8 - For we don't desire to have you uninformed, brothers, concerning our affliction which happened to us in Asia that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, so much that we despaired even of life
2 Timothy 1:15 This you know, that all who are in Asia turned away from me; of whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes.
1 Peter 1:1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen ones who are living as foreigners in the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,}

_{Assos (Behramkale) Acts 20:13-14 
Assos is ancient city of Mysia in the Roman province of Asia, at which, according to Acts 20:13, Paul and Luke rested while on their way from Troas to Mitylene. 
The harbour was engineered and is not a natural one, according to a reference from the historian Strabo (Geography 13.1.57). Established about 1000 BC by Aeolians from nearby Mitylene, the city passed through history with the succession of rulers of the Lydians, Persians, Pergamenes, and Romans. The ruins today stand as a marker for that 4th century BC city. Excavations have uncovered a temple to Athena that appears to have been built about 520 BC. The interesting structure combines Doric and Ionic elements but sadly has been dismantled and shipped to museums in Paris, Boston and Istanbul. The agora, gymnasium, several baths, and a theatre complex resemble the organization of Pergamum. 
As early as the 5th century BC the city struck its own coins, and its coinage system continued until 235 AD.
In the New Testament St. Paul left by boat and sailed to across to Mitylene on Lesbos Island (Acts 20:14) before eventually giving his great address at Miletos to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:15-38). 
Acts 20:13 But we who went ahead to the ship set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for he had so arranged, intending himself to go by land.
Acts 20:14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard, and came to Mitylene}

_{Attalia (Antalya) Acts 14:25-26 
Attalia - a city on the southern coast of Asia Minor in ancient Pamphylia which, according to Acts 14:25, was visited by Paul and Barnabas on the way to Antioch during their first missionary journey. The city was founded by Attalus II Philadelphus (159-138 BC), hence, its name Attalia, which during the Middle Ages was corrupted to Satalia; its modern name is Antalya.
The city today possesses the ruins of antiquity in a modest museum. A tower over the harbour (Hidirlik Kulesi) bears evidence of a lighthouse that existed on that location since the 2nd century AD, probably built over the mausoleum of a hero that stood at the time of St. Paul’s visit. Also from that century is the three-arched Hadrian Gate built about 135 AD. The city became the seat of the Bishop from the rise of Christianity in the Empire until 1084, when the city was elevated again to the seat of the Archbishopric. It has Ottoman period walls, and two prominent mosques: the 16th century, Murat Pasa Mosque and the 18th century, Tekeli Mehmet Pasa Mosque
Acts 14:25 - When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.}

_{Bithynia (Nicomedia (Izmit); Nicea (Iznik)) Acts 16:7; 1 Peter 1:1 
Bithynia, named only in Acts 16:7 and l Peter 1:1. It was a district bordering upon the Black sea and formerly an independent kingdom, but its king bequeathed it to the Romans about 74 BC and afterward it was enlarged by Augustus until it reached the Euxine, or Black sea. It had Paphlagonia on the east of the river Parthenius (now Bartan); Phrygia and Mysia on the south and the Thracian Bosphorus with the Propontis and Mysia on the west, Chalcedon and Nice were among its cities. It was 485 km (300 miles) long and 120.7 km (75 miles) wide.
Hittites may have occupied Bithynia in the remote past, for Priam of Troy found some of his stoutest enemies among the Amazons on the upper Sangarius in Phrygia, and these may have been Hittite, and may easily have settled along the river to its mouth. The earliest discernible Bithynians, however, were Thracian immigrants from the European side of the Relies Pont. The country was overcome by Croesus, and passed with Lydia under Persian control in 546 BC. After Alexander the Great, Bithynia became independent, and Nicomedes I, Prusias I and II, and Nicomedes II and III, ruled from 278 to 74 BC. The last king, weary of the incessant strife among the peoples of Asia Minor, especially as provoked by the aggressive Mithridates, bequeathed his country to Rome. Nicomedia and Prusa, or Brousa, were founded by kings whose names they bear; the other chief cities, Nicea and Chalcedon, had been built by Greek enterprise earlier. There were highways leading from Nicomedia and Nicea to Dorylaeum and to Angora. Under Rome the Black Sea littoral as far as Amisus was more or less closely joined with Bithynia in administration.
Paul and Silas essayed to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit suffered them not (Acts 16:7). Other evangelists, however, must have laboured there early and with marked success. Bithynia is one of the provinces addressed in 1 Peter 1:1.
Bithynia was for a thousand years part of the Byzantine Empire, and shared the fortunes and misfortunes of that state. On the advent of the Turks its territory was quickly overrun, and Orchan, sultan in 1326, selected Brousa as his capital, since which time this has been one of the chief Ottoman cities, in fact, their first capital.
Acts 16:7 - When they had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit didn't allow them.}

_{Cappadocia Province (Caesarea Mazaca (Kayseri) Acts 2:9; 1 Peter 1:1 
Cappadocia was one of the largest and, excepting Pontus, the most easterly province of Asia Minor. 
An extensive province in eastern Asia Minor bounded by the Taurus Mountains on the South, the Anti-Taurus and the Euphrates on the East, and, less definitely, by Pontus and Galatia on the North and West with highest mountain Argaeus over 3962.4 km (13,000 ft.) above sea-level; chief rivers, the Pyramus now Ceyhan, Gihon, and Halys now the Kizil; most important cities, Caesarea Mazaca now Kayseri, Comana, Miletene now Malatia, and Tyana now Bor in the province of Nigde.
The Greek geographers called Cappodax the son of Ninyas, thereby tracing the origin of Cappadocian culture to Assyria. Cuneiform tablets from Kul Tepe (Kara Eyuk) show that in the era of Khammurabi, this extensive ruin on the ox-bow of the Halys and near Caesarea Mazaca, was an outpost of the Assyr-Bah Empire. A Hittite civilization followed, from about 2000 BC onward. Malatia, Gurun, Tyana and other old sites contain important and undoubted Hittite remains, while sporadic examples of Hittite art, architecture and inscriptions are found in many places, and the number is being steadily increased by fresh discovery. After the Hittites fade from sight, following the fall of Carchemish, about 718 BC, Cappadocia emerges as a satrapy of Persia. 
According to Herodotus, the people of Cappadocia were called Syrians by their neighbours in Anatolia. The name Cappadocian was first used by Persians. They called the land Cappadocia and the people living on it Cappadocian.
Cappadocia was incorporated in the Roman Empire 17 AD. 
Representatives from Cappadocia were present at Pentecost (Acts 2:9), and Peter includes the converts in this province in the address of his letter (1 Peter 1:1). Caesarea became one of the most important early centres of Christianity. Here the Armenian youth of noble blood, Krikore, or Gregory the Illuminator, was instructed in the faith to which he afterward won the formal assent of his whole nation. Here Basil governed the churches of his wide diocese and organized monasticism. His brother, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory Nazianzus, lived and laboured not far away. Cappadocia passed with the rest of Asia Minor into the Byzantine Empire, but from its exposed position early fell under the domination of the Turks, having been conquered by the Seljuks in 1074.
Acts 2:9 - Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia
1 Peter 1:1- Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen ones who are living as foreigners in the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia}

_{Cilicia Acts 6:9; 15:23, 41; 21:39; 22:3; 23:34; 27:5; Gal 1:21 
Cilicia province of Asia Minor had Cappadocia on the north, Syria on the east, the Mediterranean on the south and Pamphylia on the west with Tarsus as its capital.
The early settlers of Cilicia are held to have been Semitic Syrians and Phoenicians, but in the still earlier days the inhabitants must have been Hittites. While few Hittite remains have been brought to light in Cilicia proper, the province was so surrounded by Hittites, and such important works of Hittite art and industry remain on the outskirts of the province, as at Ivriz (now Aydınkent), Marash (now Kahramanmaras), Sinjerli and Sakche Geuzi, that the intervening territory could hardly fail to be overspread with the same civilization and imperial power. 
Cilicia appears as independent under Syennesis, a contemporary of Alyattes of Lydia, 610 BC. Later it passed under the Persian sway, but retained its separate line of kings. After Alexander the Seleucid rulers governed Cilicia from Antioch. 
The foremost citizen of the province was Saul of Tarsus (Acts 21:39; Acts 22:3; Acts 23:34). Students or pilgrims from Cilicia like himself disputed with Stephen (Acts 6:9). Some of the earliest labours of the great apostle were near his home, in Syria and Cilicia (Galatians 1:21 Acts 15:23, 11). On his voyage to Rome he sailed across the sea which is off Cilicia (Acts 27:5). Constantinople and Antioch may be regarded as the front and back door of Asia Minor, and as the former was not founded till the 4th century, Asia Minor may be regarded as fronting during apostolic days on Antioch. Cilicia was intimately connected with its neighbour province on the South. The first Christian apostles and evangelists followed the great highways, through the famous mountain passes, and carried the religion of Jesus to Asia Minor from Antioch as a base.
Acts 6:9 - But some of those who were of the synagogue called The Libertines, and of the Cyrenians, of the Alexandrians, and of those of Cilicia and Asia arose, disputing with Stephen.
Acts 15:23 - They wrote these things by their hand: The apostles, the elders, and the brothers, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: greetings.
Acts 15:41- He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the assemblies.
Acts 21:39 - But Paul said I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city. I beg you; allow me to speak to the people.
Acts 22:3 - I am indeed a Jew born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are this day.
Acts 23:34 - When the governor had read it, he asked what province he was from. When he understood that he was from Cilicia, he said,
Acts 27:5- When we had sailed across the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.
Galatians 1:21 Then I came to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.}

_{Cnidus Acts 27:7
Knidos, age - a city of Caria in the Roman province of Asia, past which, according to Acts 27:7, Paul sailed. It now bears the name of Cape Crio. Upon the very end of the peninsula, and also upon a small island off its point was the city of Cnidus. The island which in ancient times was connected with the mainland by a causeway is now joined to it by a sandy bar. Thus were formed two harbours, one of which could be closed by a chain. Though Cnidus was in Caria, it held the rank of a free city. There were Jews here as early as the 2nd century BC.
The ruins of Cnidus are unusually interesting, for the entire plan of the city may easily be traced. The sea-walls and piers remain. The acropolis was upon the hill in the western portion of the town; upon the terraces below stood the public buildings, among which were two theatres and the Odeon still well preserved. The city was especially noted for its shrine of Venus and for the statue of that goddess by Praxiteles. Here in 1875-78 the statue of Demeter was discovered and now is in the British Museum. One of the loveliest statues in the world, the Aphrodite of Cnidus is now in the South Kensington Museum. From here also came the huge Cnidian lion. The vast necropolis west of the ruins contains tombs of every size and shape, and from various ages.
Acts 27:7 When we had sailed slowly many days, and had come with difficulty opposite Cnidus, the wind not allowing us further, we sailed under the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone.}

_{Colossae (Honaz) Col 1:2
Colossae (Kolossai means punishment) is a city of Phrygia on the river Lycus, a branch of the Meander, now uninhabited ruins. It stood at the head of a gorge where the two streams unite, and on the great highway traversing the country from Ephesus to the Euphrates valley, 21 km (13 miles) from Hierapolis and 16 km (10 miles) from Laodicea. Its history is chiefly associated with that of these two cities. Early, according to both Herodotus and Xenophon, it was a place of great importance. There Xerxes stopped 481 BC and Cyrus the Younger marched 401 BC.
From Colossians 2:1 it is not likely that Paul visited the place in person; but its Christianization was due to the efforts of Epaphras and Timothy (Colossians 1:1, 7), and it was the home of Philemon and Epaphras. That a church was established there early is evident from Colossians 4:12, 13 Revelation 1:11; Revelation 3:14. As the neighbouring cities, Hierapolis and Laodicea, increased in importance, Colossae declined. There were many Jews living there, and a chief article of commerce, for which the place was renowned, was the collossinus, peculiar wool, probably of a purple colour. In religion the people were especially lax, worshipping angels.
Of them, Michael was the chief, and the protecting saint of the city. It is said that once he appeared to the people, saving the city in time of a flood. It was this belief in angels which called forth Paul's epistle (Colossians 2:18). During the 7th and 8th centuries the place was overrun by the Saracens; in the 12th century the church was destroyed by the Turks and the city disappeared. The ruins of the church, the stone foundation of a large theater, and a necropolis with stones of a peculiar shape are still to be seen. During the Middle Ages the place bore the name of Chonae.
Colossians 1:2 to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.}

_{Derbe (Ekinozu) Acts 14:6-7, 20-23; 16:1
Derbe (Acts 14:20, 21; Acts 16:1); Derbaios (Acts 20:4); Derbetes (Strabo, Cicero) was a city in the extreme Southeast corner of the Lycaonian plain and was mentioned twice as had been visited by Paul (on his first and second missionary journeys respectively), and it may now be regarded as highly probable that he passed through it on his third journey (to the churches of Galatia).
Derbe is first mentioned as the seat of Antipater, who entertained Cicero, the Roman orator and governor of Cilicia. When the kingdom of Amyntas passed, at his death in 25 BC, to the Romans, it was made into a province and called Galatia. 
Derbe remained in the province Galatia till about 135 AD, when it passed to the jurisdiction of the triple province Cilicia-Isauria-Lycaonia. It continued in this division till 295 AD, and was then included in the newly formed province Isauria. This arrangement lasted till about 372 AD, when Lycaonia, including Derbe, was formed into a separate province.
In Acts 14:20, 21, it is narrated that Paul and Barnabas, after being driven out of Lystra, departed to Derbe, where they preached the gospel and made many disciples. But they did not further. Paul's mission included only the centres of Greco-Roman civilization; it was no part of his plan to pass over the frontier of the province into non-Roman territory. This aspect of his purpose is illustrated by the reference to Derbe on his second journey (Acts 16:1). Paul started from Antioch and went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches (Acts 15:41). Then he came to Derbe and Lystra (Acts 16:1). That Paul was successful in Derbe may be gathered from the fact that he does not mention Derbe among the places where he had suffered persecution (2 Timothy 3:11). Gaius of Derbe (among others) accompanied Paul to Jerusalem, in charge of the donations of the churches to the poor in that city (Acts 20:4).
Acts 14:6 - they became aware of it, and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra, Derbe, and the surrounding region.
Acts 14:20 - But as the disciples stood around him, he rose up, and entered into the city. On the next day he went out with Barnabas to Derbe.
Acts 16:1 - He came to Derbe and Lystra: and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess who believed; but his father was a Greek.
Acts 20:4 - These accompanied him as far as Asia: Sopater of Beroea; Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians; Gaius of Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.}

_{Ephesus (Seljuk) Acts 18:19-21, 24-26; 19:1-20:1; 20:16-17; 1 Cor 15:32; 16:8; Eph 1:1; 1 Tim 1:3; 2 Tim 1:18; 4:12; Rev 1:11; 2:1-7 
Ephesus was one of the two most important cities of Asia Minor, Smyrna being the other. It was noted for its magnificent temple of Diana, and was situated in a plain near the sea, nearly surrounded by mountains. 
With an artificial harbour accessible to the largest ships Ephesus was the most easily accessible city in Asia, both by land and sea. Its location, therefore, favoured its religious, political and commercial development, and presented a most advantageous field for the missionary labours of Paul. The city stood upon the sloping sides and at the base of two hills, Prion and Coressus, commanding a beautiful view; its climate was exceptionally fine, and the soil of the valley was unusually fertile.
Though the early history of the city is obscure, it seems that at different times it was in the hands of the Carians, the Leleges and Ionians; in the early historical period it was one of a league of twelve Ionfan cities. In 560 BC it came into the possession of the Lydians; 3 years later, in 557 BC it was taken by the Persians; and during the following years the Greeks and Persians were constantly disputing for its possession. Finally, Alexander the Great took it but at his death it fell to Lysimachus, who gave it the name of Arsinoe, from his second wife. Upon the death of Attalus II (Philadelphus), king of Pergamum, it was bequeathed to the Roman Empire; and in 190 BC, when the Roman province of Asia was formed, and became a part of it. Ephesus and Pergamum, the capital of Asia, were the two great rival cities of the province. Though Pergamum was the centre of the Roman religion and of the government, Ephesus was the more accessible, the commercial centre and the home of the native goddess Diana and because of its wealth and location it gradually became the chief city of the province. It is to the temple of Diana, however, that its great wealth and prominence are largely due.
Paul first visited the city on his 2nd missionary journey in Acts (18:19-21) and then, on his 3rd journey (19:8-10; 20:31), he remained there for two years preaching in the synagogue (19:8, 10), in the school of Tyrannous (19:9) and in private houses (20:20). Though Paul was probably not the first to bring Christianity to Ephesus, for Jews had long lived there (2:9; 6:9), he was the first to make progress against the worship of Diana.
As the fame of his teachings was carried by the pilgrims to their distant homes, his influence extended to every part of Asia Minor; a Christian church was rounded there and flourished, and one of its first leaders was the apostle John. Ephesus became a Christian city, and in 341 AD a council of the Christian church was held there.
Acts 18:19 - He came to Ephesus, and he left them there; but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.
Acts 18:21 - but taking his leave of them, and saying, I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem, but I will return again to you if God wills, he set sail from Ephesus.
1 Corinthians 15:32 - If I fought with animals at Ephesus for human purposes, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, then let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.
1 Corinthians 16:8 - But I will stay at Ephesus until Pentecost,
Ephesians 1:1 - Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:
1 Timothy 1:3 - As I urged you when I was going into Macedonia, stay at Ephesus that you might command certain men not to teach a different doctrine,
2 Timothy 1:18 - (the Lord grant to him to find the Lord's mercy in that day); and in how many things he served at Ephesus, you know very well.
2 Timothy 4:12 - But I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
Revelation 1:11 - saying, What you see, write in a book and send to the seven assemblies : to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.
Revelation 2:1 - To the angel of the assembly in Ephesus write: He who holds the seven stars in his right hand, he who walks among the seven golden lampstands says these things:}

_{Euphrates River (Firat Nehri) Rev 9:14; 16:12 
Revelation 9:14 - saying to the sixth angel who had one trumpet, Free the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates!
Revelation 16:12 - The sixth poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates. Its water was dried up, that the way might be made ready for the kings that come from the sunrise.}

_{Galatia Acts 16:6; 18:23; Gal 1:2; 3:1; 2 Tim 4:10; 1 Pet 1:1 
Galatia was a large province of the Roman Empire, including not merely the country Galatia, but also Paphlagonia and parts of Pontus, Phrygia, Pisidia, Lycaonia and Isauria. The name occurs in 1 Corinthians 16:1 Galatians 1:2 1 Peter 1:1, and perhaps 2 Timothy 4:10.
The name was introduced into Asia after 278-277 BC, when a large body of migrating Gauls (Galatai in Greek) crossed over from Europe at the invitation of Nikomedes, king of Bithynia; after ravaging a great part of Western Asia Minor they were gradually confined to a district, and boundaries were fixed for them after 232 BC. Thus, originated the independent state of Galatia, inhabited by three Gaulish tribes, Tolistobogioi, Tektosages and Trokmoi, with three city-centres, Pessinus, Ankyra and Tavia (Tavion in Strabo), who had brought their wives and families with them, and therefore continued to be a distinct Gaulish race.
The Galatai soon adopted the country religion, alongside with their own, the latter they retained at least as late as the 2nd century AD.
King Amyntas ruled Galatia   36-25 BC, then bequeathed his kingdom to Rome; and it was made a Roman province. King Amyntas had ruled also parts of Phrygia, Pisidia, Lycaonia and Isauria. The new province included these parts, and to it were added Paphlagonia 6 BC, part of Pontus 2 BC.  Part of Lycaonia was non-Roman and was governed by King Antiochus; from 41 to 72 AD. Laranda belonged to this district, which was distinguished as Antiochiana regio from the Roman region Lycaonia called Galatica.
Under the Roman Empire this large province was divided into regions for administrative purposes; and the regions coincided roughly with the old national divisions Pisidia, Phrygia (including Antioch, Iconium, and Apollonia), Lycaonia (including Derbe, Lystra and a district organized on the village-system), etc.
This province was called by the Romans Galatia, as being the kingdom of Amyntas (just like the province Asia, which also consisted of a number of different countries as diverse and alien as those of province Galatia, and was so called because the Romans popularly and loosely spoke of the kings of that congeries of countries as kings of Asia).
If Paul used the name Galatia to indicate the province, this would show that he consistently and naturally took a Roman view, used names in a Roman connotation, and grouped his churches according to Roman provincial divisions; but that is characteristic of the apostle, who looked forward from Asia to Rome (Acts 19:21), aimed at imperial conquest and marched across the Empire from province to province (Macedonia, Achaia, Asia are always provinces to Paul). On the other hand, in the East and the Greco-Asiatic world, the tendency was to speak of the province either as the Galatic. 
Acts 16:6 - When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
Acts 18:23 - Having spent some time there, he departed, and went through the region of Galatia, and Phrygia, in order, establishing all the disciples.
1 Corinthians 16:1- Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I commanded the assemblies of Galatia, you do likewise.
Galatians 1:2- and all the brothers who are with me, to the assemblies of Galatia:
2 Timothy 4:10 - for Demas left me, having loved this present world, and went to Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
1 Peter 1:1 - Peter - an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen ones who are living as foreigners in the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,}

_{Haran (Harran) Acts 7:2, 4 
Haran (charan; Charhran) is the city where Terah settled on his departure from Ur (Genesis 11:31 f); whence Abram set out on his pilgrimage of faith to Canaan (Genesis 12:1).
The name appears in Assyro - Babalonian as Charran, which means road; possibly because here the trade route from Damascus joined that from Nineveh to Carchemish. It is mentioned in the prism inscription of Tiglath-pileser I. It was a seat of the worship of Sin, the moon-god, from very ancient times.
Near Haran the Parthians defeated and slew Crassus (53 BC), and here Caracalla was assassinated (217 AD). In the 4th century it was the seat of a bishopric; but the cult of the moon persisted far into the Christian centuries. The chief temple was the scene of heathen worship until the 11th century, and was destroyed by the Mongols in the 13th.
The ancient city is represented by the modern Charran to the Southeast of Edessa, on the river Belias, an affluent of the Euphrates. The ruins lie on both sides of the stream, and include those of a very ancient castle, built of great basaltic blocks, with square columns, 2,5 m (8 ft.) thick, which support an arched roof some 9 m (30 ft.) in height. Remains of the old cathedral are also conspicuous. No inscriptions have yet been found here, but a fragment of an Assyrian lion has been uncovered. A well nearby is identified as that where Eliezer met Rebekah. Acts 7:2, 4, gives the name as Charran
Acts 7:2 - He said, Brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,
Acts 7:4 - Then he came out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and lived in Haran. From there, when his father was dead, God moved him into this land, where you are now living.}

_{Hierapolis (Pamukkale) Col 4:13 
Hierapolis means sacred city. As the name implies, Hierapolis was a holy city. It was situated 9,5 km (6 miles) from Laodicea and twice that distance from Colossae, on the road from Sardis to Apamea. Though its history is not well known, it seems to have been of Lydian origin, and once bore the name of Kydrara. The Phrygian god Sabazios was worshipped there under the name Echidma, and represented by the symbol of the serpent. Other local deities were Leto and her son Lairbenos. Though called the holy city, Hierapolis was peculiarly regarded as the stronghold of Satan, for there was Plutonium, or a hole reaching far down into the earth, from which there issued a vapour, even poisoning the birds flying above. It is supposed that upon a stool, deep in the Plutonium, a priest or priestess sat, and, when under the influence of the vapour, uttered prophecies valuable to those who sought them. Though a stronghold of Satan, Hierapolis early became a Christian city, for, according to Colossians 4:13, the only place where it is mentioned in the New Testament, a church was founded there through the influence of Paul while he was at Ephesus. Tradition claims that Philip was the first evangelist to preach there, and it also claims that he and his two unmarried daughters were buried there; a third who was married, was buried at Ephesus. Several of the early Christians suffered martyrdom at Hierapolis, yet Christianity flourished, other churches were built, and during the 4th century the Christians filled the Plutonium with stones, thus giving evidence that the paganism had been entirely supplanted by the church. During the Roman period, Justinian made the city a metropolis, and it continued to exist into the Middle Ages. In the year 1190 Frederick Barbarossa fought with the Byzantines there.
Inscriptions show there was a significant Jewish presence in the city. 
Colossians 4:13 - For I testify about him, that he has great zeal for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for those in Hierapolis.}

_{Iconium (Konya) Acts 13:51-14:5; 16:2
(Ikonion, also Eikonion, on inscriptions): Iconium was visited by Paul on his first and on his second missionary journey (Acts 13:51; Acts 16:2), and as the South Galatian theory holds it, probably also on his third journey. His sufferings there are referred to in 2 Timothy 3:11.
The topographical position of Iconium is clearly indicated in Acts, and the evidence of Acts has been confirmed by recent research. 
The writer of Acts 14:6 calls Iconium the last city of Phrygia when he represents Paul and Barnabas as fleeing from Iconium to the cities of Lycaonia-implying that the border of Phrygia and Lycaonia passed between Iconium and Lystra. At the neighbouring city of Lystra (Acts 14:11), the natives used the speech of Lycaonia. Two inscriptions in the Phrygian language found at Iconium in 1910 prove that the Phrygian language was in use there for 2 centuries after Paul's visits, and afford confirmation of the interesting topographical detail in Acts. 
In the apostolic period, Iconium was one of the chief cities in the southern part of the Roman province Galatia, and it probably belonged to the Phrygian region mentioned in Acts 16:6.
Iconium was still a Hellenic city, but with a strong pro-Roman bias when Paul visited it.
About 295 AD, an enlarged province, Pisidia, was formed, with Antioch as capital, and Iconium as a sort of secondary metropolis.
Acts 13:51 - But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came to Iconium.
Acts 14:1 - It happened in Iconium that they entered together into the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude both of Jews and of Greeks believed.
Acts 14:19 - But some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there, and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.
Acts 14:21 - When they had preached the Good News to that city, and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,
Acts 16:2 - The brothers who were at Lystra and Iconium gave a good testimony about him.
2 Timothy 3:11 - persecutions and sufferings: those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. Out of them all the Lord delivered me.}

_{Laodicea (Denizli) Col. 2:1, 4:13-16; Rev 1:11; 3:14-22
 Established in the 3rd century BC by the Seleucid Antiochus II, the city was named after his wife Laodicea. Built on the Lycus Tributary of the Meander River, it was surnamed Laodicea on Lycus, to distinguish it from other similarly named cities. The city was apparently addressed with the nearby cities of Hierapolis and Colossae (Col. 2:1; 4:13-16) and was no doubt linked in trade and commerce with those cities. There was also development of a medical industry, based on the eye salves and Phrygian powders used in eye treatment (Rev. 3:15-16). The banking and money exchange industry also thrived in the city, an ironic reality of the city that was called poor and naked and blind! Positioned in the Lycus Valley a few miles from the hot calcium waters of modern Pamukkale, the tell affords a view to the north and east of the hot waters that pour out of the earth, and the distant snow-capped mountains to the south. Drawing the hot water from a distance of more than four miles away, the water would arrive to the city lukewarm, and need to be reheated. Many have noted the irony of Rev. 3:15. 
Colossians 2:1 For I desire to have you know how greatly I struggle for you, and for those at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;
Colossians 4:13 For I testify about him, that he has great zeal for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for those in Hierapolis.
Colossians 4:15 - Greet the brothers who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the assembly that is in his house.
Colossians 4:16 - When this letter has been read among you, cause it to be read also in the assembly of the Laodiceans; and that you also read the letter from Laodicea.
Revelation 1:11 - saying, What you see, write in a book and send to the seven assemblies : to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.
Revelation 3:14 - To the angel of the assembly in Laodicea write: The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Head of God's creation, says these things:}

_{Lycaonia Acts 14:6
 Lukaonia (Acts 14:6), Lukaonisti, (Acts 14:11, in the speech of Lycaonia); Lycaonia is meant, according to the South Galatian view, by the expression ten Galatiken choran, in Acts 18:23, and the incidents in Acts 16:1-4 belong to Lycaonia) was a country in the central and southern part of Asia Minor whose boundaries and extent varied at different periods. In the time of Paul, it was bounded on the North by Galatia proper (but lay in the Roman province Galatia), on the East by Cappadocia, on the South by Cilicia Tracheia, and on the West by Pisidia and Phrygia. The boundary of Phrygia and Lycaonia passed between Iconium and Lystra.
In Acts 14:6 Lycaonia is summed up as consisting of the cities of Lystra and Derbe and the district lying around them. This description refers to a particular division of Lycaonia, which alone is mentioned in the Bible. In the time of Paul, Lycaonia consisted of two parts, a western and an eastern. The western part was a region or subdivision of the Roman province Galatia; the eastern was called Lycaonia Antiochiana, after Antiochus of Commagene under whom it had been placed in 37 AD. This non-Roman portion was traversed by Paul; but nothing is recorded of his journey through it. In Acts 18:23 it is called the region of Galatia, and placed side by side with Phrygia, another region of Galatia.
Acts 14:6 - they became aware of it, and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra, Derbe, and the surrounding region.}

_{Lycia Acts 27:5
Lycia is a region of Asia Minor next west of Pamphylia and on the Mediterranean.
The history of Lycia, like that of the neighbouring countries, forms a part of the history of Asia Minor. Successively it was in the possession of the Persians, of Alexander the Great, of the Seleucid kings and of the Ptolemies. In 188 BC it fell into the hands of the Romans, who gave it to the island of Rhodes; 20 years later it became free and independent (1 Maccabees 15:23). In 53 AD, during the reign of the emperor Claudius, it became a Roman province, and in 74 AD it was united with Pamphylia to form a double province over which a Roman governor presided.
Lycia was a stopping-place, rather than the scene of the active work of Paul, and therefore it figures little in the earliest history of Christianity. For a long time the people strongly opposed the introduction of a strange religion, and in 312 AD they even petitioned the Roman emperor Maximin against it.
From the coast city of Patara, according to Acts 21, Paul took ship for Phoenicia. It was a place celebrated not only as a trading-centre, and a port of entry to the interior, but as the seat of the oracle of Apollo, and the birthplace of Nicholas. Myra, though over 3,2 km (2 miles) from the coast, possessed a harbour, and was also a trading-centre. Here, according to Acts 27:5-38, Paul found a grain ship from Alexandria. For some time Myra was the capital of the Roman province; to Christendom it is especially known as the home of Nicholas, who was its bishop and the patron saint of the sailors along the coast. Phaselis, on the border of Pamphylia, was also the home of the bishop.
Acts 27:5 - When we had sailed across the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.}

_{Lystra (Hatunsaray) Acts 14:6-23; 16:1-5 
Lystra owed its importance, and the attention which Paul paid to it, to the fact that it had been made a Roman Colonia by Augustus and was therefore, in the time of Paul, a centre of education and enlightenment. The population of Lystra consisted of the local aristocracy of Roman soldiers who formed the garrison of the Colonia, of Greeks and Jews (Acts 16:1, 3), and of native Lycaonians (Acts 14:11).
Though a Gentile and largely Latin speaking colony, the dialect was beyond the comprehension of St. Paul and St. Barnabas (Acts 14:11). Some scholars suggest that the team stayed in the home of Timothy during the visit on this journey (Acts. 16:1). When a cripple was healed and began to walk the crowd at Lystra began to venerate the Apostle and his companion, believing them to be gods in human form. After numerous attempts to persuade them otherwise, St. Paul eventually found a forum to preach to them. During the time of St. Pauls visit, some of the Jewish community of Antioch and Iconium began to stir the town against St. Paul.
Acts 14:6 - they became aware of it, and fled to the cities of Lycaonia, Lystra, Derbe, and the surrounding region.
Acts 14:8 - At Lystra a certain man sat, impotent in his feet, a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked.
Acts 14:21 - When they had preached the Good News to that city, and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch
Acts 16:1 - He came to Derbe and Lystra: and behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewess who believed; but his father was a Greek.
Acts 16:2 - The brothers who were at Lystra and Iconium gave a good testimony about him.
2 Timothy 3:11 persecutions and sufferings: those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. Out of them all the Lord delivered me.}

_{Magog (Lydia) Rev 20:8
Rev 20:8 - and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to assemble them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the seashore.}

_{Miletos (Milet) Acts 20:15-38; 2 Tim 4:20
Miletos is a famous early Ionian Greek city on the coast of Caria, near the mouth of the Meander River, which, according to Acts 20:15-21:1, and 2 Timothy 4:20, Paul twice visited.
In the earliest times it was a prominent trading post, and it is said that 75 colonies were founded by its merchants. Among them were Abydos, Cyzicus and Sinope. 
 Pharoah Neco made an offering at the Milesian Temple after his victory at Megiddo and recapture of Charchemish (608 BC; 2 Kings 23:29; 2 Chron. 35:20). The offering did not help him from being overwhelmed a few years later by Nebuccadnezzar II (605 BC).
In 494 BC the city was taken by the Persians (495 BC); it was recovered by Alexander the Great (334 BC), but after his time it rapidly declined, yet it continued to exist until long after the Christian era. Rebuilt again, the city boasted four harbours and three agora (market) areas from the Hellenistic through Roman times (325 BC to 325 AD). 
Acts 20:15 - Sailing from there, we came the following day opposite Chios. The next day we touched at Samos and stayed at Trogyllium, and the day after we came to Miletus.
Acts 20:17- From Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called to himself the elders of the assembly.
2 Timothy 4:20 - Erastus remained at Corinth, but I left Trophimus at Miletus sick.}

_{Myra (Kale; Demre) Acts 27:5-6
Myra was a city of the ancient country of Lycia, where according to Acts 27:6, Paul found a grain ship from Alexandria. Julius the Centurion chose the ill-fated ship bound for Italy to take St. Paul for his requested presentation to Caesar (Acts 27:5-6). 
At an early period Myra was of less importance than was the neighbouring city Patara, yet later it became a prominent port for ships from Egypt and Cyprus, and Theodosius II made it the capital of the province. It was also famed as the seat of worship of an Asiatic deity whose name is no longer known. 
Christianity took hold in the city, Nicholas, a bishop and the patron saint of sailors, is said to have been buried in a church on the road between Myra and Andraki. St. Nicolas is remembered in the restored 11th century AD Byzantine basilica. Nicolas was a late 4th century AD bishop who served the people of his region with zeal, and is remembered as a particularly selfless and giving Christian. After a gift of three small bags of gold were left as dowry payments from three young women of Patara (to aid them in escaping a life of prostitution) the fame of his selfless acts grew in historical legend. 
 Here an Arab fleet was destroyed in 807 AD. In 808 AD, Haroun al-Rashid, the renowned calif of Bagdad took the city, and here Saewulf landed on his return from Jerusalem. Demre is the modern name of the ruins of Myra, which are among the most imposing in that part of Asia Minor. The elaborate details of the decoration of theatre are unusually well preserved, and the rock-hewn tombs about the city bear many bas-reliefs and inscriptions of interest. On the road to Andraki the monastery of Nicholas may still be seen.
Acts 27:5 When we had sailed across the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia}

_{Mysia Acts 16:7-8
Mysia is country in the north-western part of Asia Minor, which formed an important part of the Roman province of Asia. Though its boundaries were always vague, it may be said to have extended on the North to the Sea of Marmara on the East to Bithynia and Phrygia, on the South to Lydia, and on the West to Hellespont. According to some authors it included the Troad. Its history is chiefly that of important cities, of which Assos, Troas, and Adramyttium on the border of Lydia, are mentioned in the New Testament. When Mysia became a part of the Roman province of Asia in 190 B.C., its old name fell into disuse, and it was then generally known as the Hellespont. According to Acts 16:7-8, Paul passed through the country, but without stopping to preach, until he reached Troas on the coast, yet tradition says that he founded churches at Poketos and Cyzicus. Onesiphorus, who was martyred sometime between 109 and 114 AD during the Proconsulate of Adrian, is supposed to have evangelized this part of Asia.
Acts 16:7- When they had come opposite Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit didn't allow them.
Acts 16:8 - Passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.}

_{Pamphylia Acts 2:10; 13:3; 14:24; 15:38; 27:5
Pamphylia was a country lying along the southern coast of Asia Minor, bounded on the North by Pisidia, on the East by Isauria, on the South by the Mediterranean Sea, and on the West by Lycia (Acts 2:10; Acts 27:5).
Pamphylia, unless in pre-historic times, was never an independent kingdom; it was subject successively to Lydia, Persia, Macedonia, Pergamum and Rome. Because of its comparatively isolated position, civilization there was less developed than in the neighbouring countries, and the Asiatic influence was at most times stronger than the Greek As early as the 5th century B.C. a Greek colony settled there, but the Greek language which was spoken in some of its cities soon became corrupt and before the time of Alexander the Great, Greek ceased to be spoken.
Christianity was first introduced to Pamphylia by Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:13; Acts 14:24), but because their stay in the country was brief, or because of the difficulty of communication with the neighbouring countries, or because of the Asiatic character of the population, it was slow in being established.
Acts 2:10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
Acts 13:13 - Now Paul and his company set sail from Paphos, and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John departed from them and returned to Jerusalem.
Acts 14:24 - They passed through Pisidia, and came to Pamphylia.
Acts 15:38 - But Paul didn't think that it was a good idea to take with them someone who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia, and didn't go with them to do the work.
Acts 27:5 - When we had sailed across the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.}

_{Patara (Ova) Acts 21:1
Patara was a coast city of ancient Lycia, from which, according to Acts 21:1, Paul took a ship for Phoenicia. Because of its excellent harbour, many of the coast trading ships stopped at Patara, which therefore became an important and wealthy port of entry to the towns of the interior. As early as 440 BC autonomous coins were struck there; during the 4th and the 3rd centuries the coinage was interrupted, but was again resumed in 168 BC when Patara joined the Lycian league.
In the history of early Christianity, Patara took but little part, but it was the home of a bishop, and the birthplace of Nicholas, the patron saint of the sailors of the East. Though born at Patara, Nicholas was a bishop and saint of Myra, a neighbouring Lycian city, and there he is said to have been buried.
Alexandrian texts of Acts 21:1 state that St. Paul made his way to Tyre by means of Patara.  It is likely that the Alexandrian text reflects the original event, as the prevailing winds made Patara a better launch site for this long journey. Emperor Hadrian and his wife Sabina visited here (c.130s AD), and a granary of Hadrian can still be seen west of the harbour marsh.
Acts 21:1- When it happened that we had parted from them and had set sail, we came with a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.}

_{Perga (Perge) Acts 13:13-14; 14:25 
Perga was an important city of the ancient province of Pamphylia. 
According to Acts 13:13, Paul, Barnabas and John Mark visited the place on their first missionary journey, and 2 years later, according to Acts 14:24, 25, they may have preached there. 
It is uncertain how ancient Perga is; its walls, still standing, seem to come from the Seleucid period or from the 3rd century BC.  It remained in the possession of the Seleucid kings until 189 BC when Roman influence became strong in Asia Minor.
As the capital of the region of Asia Minor called Pamphylia, this city was served by the port of Attalia (today called Antalya) on the Mediterranean Sea. Just over 8 km (5 miles) from the port, the city enjoyed the constant availability of products from both east and west, as well as the moderate climate of a Mediterranean city.
The city rivalled Ephesus in its beauty (though a bit smaller) and celebrated its Greek culture in architecture and presentation. St. Paul and St. Barnabas arrived here along with Baranabas nephew John Mark, who abandoned the team from here. This proved to be a point of contention that eventually divided St. Paul and St. Barnabas.
Acts 13:13 - Now Paul and his company set sail from Paphos, and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John departed from them and returned to Jerusalem.
Acts 13:14 - But they, passing on from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia. They went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down.
Acts 14:25 - When they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia.}

_{Pergamum (Bergama) Rev 1:11; 2:12-17
Pergamum (also Pergamos, Pergamon) was a city of Mysia of the ancient Roman province of Asia, in the Valley of Caicus River. On the hill, between the two tributaries of this river stood the first city with its acropolis, the main temples, and theatres of the later city. The early people of the town were descendants of Greek colonists, and as early as 420 BC struck coins of their own.
In 283-263 BC Philetaerus founded the independent Greek dynasty of the Attalid kings and the first of this dynasty to bear the title of king was Attalus I (241-197 BC) who added to his kingdom the countries of Mysia, Lydia, Caria, Pamphylia and Phrygia.
Eumenes II (197-159 BC) was the most illustrious king of the dynasty, and during his reign the city reached its greatest height. Art and literature were encouraged, and in the city possessed a library of 200,000 volumes which later Antony gave to Cleopatra. The books were of parchment which was here first used; hence, the word parchment, which is derived from the name of the town Pergamos. 
Of the structures which adorned the city, the most renowned was the altar of Zeus, which was 12 m (40 ft.) in height, and also one of the wonders of the ancient world.
When in 133 BC Attalus III, the last king of the dynasty, died, he gave his kingdom to the Roman government which in 129 BC formed the province of Asia and make Pergamos its capital. (The term Asia should not be confused with the continent of Asia, or with Asia Minor. It applied simply to that part of Asia Minor which was then in the possession of the Romans and formed into the province of which Pergamos was the capital). There were beautiful temples here to the four great gods Zeus, Dionysus, Athena and Asclepius. The invalids flocked to the temple of later which also had a school of medicine. Pergamos was mainly a religious centre. 
Christianity reached Pergamos early, for there one of the Seven Churches of the Book of Revelation stood, and there, according to Revelation 2:13, Antipas was martyred; he was the first Christian to be put to death by the Roman state. The same passage speaks of Pergamum as the place where Satan's throne is, probably referring to the temples in which the Roman emperors were worshipped. During the Byzantine times Pergamum still continued as a religious centre, for there a bishop lived. However, the town fell into the hands of the Seljuks in 1304, and in 1336 it was taken by Suleiman, the son of Orhan, and became Turkish.
Revelation 1:11- saying, What you see, write in a book and send to the seven assemblies : to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.
Revelation 2:12 -To the angel of the assembly in Pergamum write: He who has the sharp two-edged sword says these things:}

_{Philadelphia (Alasehir) Rev 1:11; 3:7-13
The city may have been founded by Eumenes King of Pergamum (197-160 BC) in the c.2 BC, and the name was likely after his brother Attalus (r. 159-138 BC), who through loyalty won the title Philadelphus (brother love). The city was turn over to Roman rule in 133 BC on the death of Attalus III. The city may well have been founded for a social purpose. Ramsey states that the city was a missionary city from the beginning, founded to promote a certain unity of spirit, customs, and loyalty within the realm. Strabo noted the city was ever subject to quakes. After Emperor Tiberius aided in their rebuilding, it took the new name of Neocaesarea (New Caesar). Under Vespasian’s rule (69-79 AD) the name was changed to Flavia. By the third century paganism had held on in the face of a Christianizing Empire, and the city became known as little Athens for its dedication to deities. None of these names or epithets lasted, and today the modern city is called Alasehir 
One of the Seven Churches of the Book of Revelation (Revelation 3:7) was there, and it was the seat of a bishop. As in most Asia Minor cities, many Jews lived there, and they possessed a synagogue. During the reign of Tiberius the city was destroyed by earthquake, yet it was quickly rebuilt. Frederick Barbarossa entered it while on his crusade in 1190. Twice, in 1306 and 1324, it was besieged by the Seljuk Turks, but it retained its independence until after 1390, when it was captured by the combined forces of the Turks and Byzantines. In 1403 Tamerlane captured it, and, it is said, built about it a wall of the corpses of his victims.
Revelation 1:11 - saying, What you see, write in a book and send to the seven assemblies: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.
Revelation 3:7 - To the angel of the assembly in Philadelphia write: He who is holy, he who is true, he who has the key of David, he who opens and no one can shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says these things:}

_{Phrygia Acts 2:10; 16:6; 18:23 
Phrygia (Phrugia) was a large ancient country of Central Asia Minor. Its name is derived from Phryges, a tribe from Thrace, which in early times invaded the country and drove out or absorbed the earlier Asiatic inhabitants, among whom were the Hittites. Thus, the Phrygians borrowed much of oriental civilization, especially of art and mythology which they transferred to Europe. 
The entire country abounds with ruins of former cities and with almost countless rock-hewn tombs, some of which are of very great antiquity. Among the most interesting of the rock sculptures are the beautiful tombs of the kings bearing the names Midas and Gordius. 
When Paul journeyed there, the country was divided into two parts, one of which was known as Galatian Phrygia, and the other as Asian Phrygia, because it was a part of the Roman province of Asia.
According to Acts 2:10, Jews from Phrygia went to Jerusalem, and Acts 18:23 said that many of them were influential and perhaps fanatical. According to Acts 16:6, Paul traversed the country while on his way from Lystra to Iconium and Antioch in Galatian Phrygia. Twice he entered Phrygia in Asia, but on his 2nd journey he was forbidden to preach there. Christianity was introduced into Phrygia by Paul and Barnabas, yet it did not spread there rapidly. Churches were later founded, perhaps by Timothy or by John, at Colossae, Laodicea and Hierapolis.
Acts 2:10 - Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, the parts of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,
Acts 16:6 - When they had gone through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
Acts 18:23 - Having spent some time there, he departed, and went through the region of Galatia, and Phrygia, in order, establishing all the disciples.}

_{Pisidian Antioch (Yalvac) Acts 13:14-50; 14:19, 21-23
Antioch of Pisidia was so called to distinguish it from the many other cities of the same name founded by Seleucus Nicator (301-280 BC) and called after his father Antiochus. It was situated in a strong position, on a plateau close to the western bank of the river Anthios. It was planted on the territory of a great estate belonging to the priests of the native religion; the remaining portions of this estate belonged later to the Roman emperors. 
There is no evidence that a Greek city existed on the site of Antioch before the foundation of Seleucus; Strabo states that Antioch was colonized by Greeks from Magnesia on the Meander with the foundation by Seleucus. The Seleucid colonists were Greeks, Jews and Phrygians. 
That there were Jews in Antioch is proved by Acts 13:14-50, and by an inscription of Apollonia, a neighbouring city, mentioning a Jewess Deborah, whose ancestors had held office in Antioch in 189 BC after the peace with Antiochus the Great, the Romans made Antioch a free city; this does not mean that any change was made in its constitution but only that it ceased to pay tribute to the Seleucid kings. Antony gave Antioch to Amyntas of Galatia in 39 BC and hence, it was included in the province of Galatia formed in 25 BC out of Amyntas' kingdom. Not much before 6th century BC Antioch was made a Roman colony, with the title Caesarea Antiocheia; it was now the capital of southern Galatia and the chief of a series of military colonies founded by Augustus, and connected by a system of roads as yet insufficiently explored, to hold down the wild tribes of Pisidia, Isauria and Pamphylia.
It is not quite clear whether Antioch was in Phrygia or in Pisidia at the time of Paul. Strabo defines Antioch as a city of Phrygia toward Pisidia, and the same description is implied in Acts 16:6, and 18:23. 
Latin continued to be the official language of Antioch, from its foundation as a Roman colony until the later part of the 2nd century A.D. It was more thoroughly Romanized than any other city in the district; but the Greek spirit revived in the 3rd century, and the inscriptions from that date are in Greek. The principal pagan deities were Men and Cybele. Strabo mentions a great temple with large estates and many hierodulic devoted to the service of the god.
Antioch was the military and administrative centre for that part of Galatia which comprised the Isaurian, Pisidian and Pamphylian mountains and the southern part of Lycaonia.
It was hence that Roman soldiers, officials, and couriers were dispatched over the whole area, and it was hence, according to Acts 13:49 that Paul's mission radiated over the whole region.
The devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, to whom the Jews addressed their complaint, were perhaps the Roman colonists. The publicity here given to the action of the women is in accord with all that is known of their social position in Asia Minor, where they were often priestesses and magistrates. The Jews of Antioch continued their persecution of Paul when he was in Lystra (Acts 14:19). Paul passed through Antioch a second time on his way to Perga and Attalia (Acts 14:21). He must have visited Antioch on his second journey (Acts 16:6); and on his third (Acts 18:23). 
Acts 13:14 - But they, passing on from Perga, came to Antioch of Pisidia. They went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down.
Acts 14:19 - But some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there, and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.
Acts 14:21 - When they had preached the Good News to that city, and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch,
2 Timothy 3:11 - persecutions, and sufferings: those things that happened to me at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. I endured those persecutions. Out of them all, the Lord delivered me.}

_{Pontus (Amisos (Samsun)) Acts 2:9; 1 Pet 1:1
Pontus (Pontos) was an important province in the north-eastern part of Asia Minor, lying along the south shore of the Black Sea. The name was geographical, not ethnical, in origin, and was first used to designate that part of Cappadocia which bordered on the Pontus, as the Euxine was often termed. Pontus proper extended from the Halys River on the West to the borders of Colchis on the East, its interior boundaries meeting those of Galatia, Cappadocia and Armenia. The chief rivers besides the Halys were the Iris, Lycus and Thermodon.
We catch glimpses of Assyrian culture at Sinope and Amisus, probably as far back as the 3rd millennium BC. The period of Hittite domination in Asia Minor followed hard after, which makes us suppose that the Hittites occupied certain leading city sites in Pontus, constructed the artificial mounds or tumuli and hewed out the rock tombs. The home of the Amazons, those warrior priestesses of the Hittites, was located on the banks of the Thermodon, and the mountains rising behind Terme are still called the Amazon Range; and the old legends live still in stories about the superior prowess of the modern women living there.
As the Hittite power shrunk in extent and force, by the year 1000 BC, new forces emerged from the West; Greeks sailing along the Euxine main in quest of lands to exploit and conquer and colonize. Greeks from Miletus, greatest of the Ionic towns, occupied Sinop and then, founded Amisus, the modern Samsun, always an important commercial city. Another colony from Sinope founded Trebizond. Among the cities of the interior, picturesque Amasia in the gorge of the Iris River witnessed the birth of Strabo in the 1st century B.C., and to the geographer Strabo, more than to any other man, is due our knowledge of Pontus in its early days.
When the Persians established their supremacy in Asia Minor with the overthrow of Lydia, 546 BC, Pontus was joined to the great empire and was ruled by Persian satraps. Ariobarzanes, Mithradates and Pharnaces are the recurring names in this dynasty of satraps which acquired independence about 363 BC and maintained it during the Macedonian period.  The man that first made Pontus famous in history was Mithradates VI, surnamed Eupator, born at Sinope 136 BC and king at Amasia at the age of twelve. Mithradates started years-long war with Roman Empire that finished in 66 BC by his complete defeat and his dominions were finally and permanently incorporated in the territories of the Roman republic. 
It was during the Roman period that Christianity entered this province. There were Jews dwelling in Pontus, devout representatives of whom were in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:9). Paul's associates, Aquila and Priscilla, were originally from here (Acts 18:2). The sojourners of the Dispersion are included in the address of the first Epistle of Peter together with the people of four other provinces in Asia Minor (1 Peter 1:1). Local traditions connect the apostles Andrew and Thaddeus with evangelistic labors in this region. They are said to have followed the great artery of travel leading from Caesarea Mazaca to Sinope.
The Roman Empire in the East was gradually merged into the Byzantine, which is still known to the local inhabitants as the empire of Roum, i.e. Rome.
In 1204 the Grand Comneni, a branch of the Byzantine imperial family established in Pontus a separate small state with its capital at Trebizond and maintained its tinsel sovereignty to and beyond the fall of Constantinople. In 1461 Trebizond was taken by Mehmed II, the Conqueror, since which date Pontus, with its conglomerate population of Turks, Armenians, Greeks and fragments of other races, has been a part of the Ottoman Empire.
Acts 2:9 - Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia,
Acts 18:2 - He found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, who had recently come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome. He came to them,
1 Peter 1:1 - Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen ones who are living as foreigners in the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,}

_{Sardis (Sart) Rev 1:11; 3:1-6
Sardis was one of the oldest and most important cities of Asia Minor, and until 549 BC the capital of the kingdom of Lydia.
The name Sardis is that of the stone, sardius (Greek: sardinos; Rev 4:3). The semi-precious stone is orange-brown but reflects deep red when light is passed through. It was an economic stronghold of the wool industry. Its acropolis was built about 457 m (1500 ft.) above the plain on a ridge of the 1.768 m (5,800 ft.) high Mount Tmolus. The precipice was difficult to reach and was considered unassailable by an enemy. The lower city was more accessible. Today the site is a ruin, but nearby the small Turkish village bears the name Sart, and the memory of fabled characters such as Midas and King Croesus of Sardis live on. A great colonnaded marble road of 1.402 m (4600 ft.) in length divided the Roman city, whose population was estimated as large as 120.000 in the time of the St. John. A variety of inscriptions on extant statuary reveal the relationship with succeeding Emperors. Hadrian visited the city in 123 AD. Later, Emperor Diocletian reorganized Asia in (297 AD) and Sardis became capital of the revived district of Lydia. Melito, Bishop of Sardis, served in the 2nd entury, and some of his sermons have been preserved. Several representatives from Sardis attended the First Council of Nicaea (325), Council of Ephesus (431), and the so-called Robber Council of Ephesus (449). Sardis was conquered by the Arabs in 716 AD, and eventually by the Ottoman Turks in the 14th century. 
Revelation 1:11 - saying, What you see, write in a book and send to the seven assemblies : to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.
Revelation 3:1 - And to the angel of the assembly in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars says these things: I know your works, that you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead.
Revelation 3:4 - Nevertheless you have a few names in Sardis that did not defile their garments. They will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.}

_{Seleucia (Samandag) Acts 13:4
Seleucia (Seleukia) - the seaport of Antioch (modern Antakya) from which it was 25.75 km (16 miles) distant. The seaport that was responsible for the tremendous wealth and expansion of Syrian Antioch was named after Seleucus Nicator I around 300 BC. The port was founded first, then a trade route established, and finally the planting of a major city. There may have been about 30,000 inhabitants during the time of journeys of St. Paul. St. Paul and Joses Barnabas sailed from Seleucia to Cyprus St. Paul's First Journey.
The city was protected by nature on the mountain side, and, being strongly fortified on the South and West, was considered invulnerable and the key to Syria (Strabo 751). 
It was taken, however, by Ptolemy Euergetes (1 Maccabees 11:8) and remained in his family till 219 BC, when it was recovered for the Seleucids by Antiochus the Great, who then richly adorned it. Captured again by Ptolemy Philometor in 146 BC, it remained for a short time in the hands of the Egyptians. Pompey made it a free city in 64 BC in return for its energy in resisting Tigranes and it was then greatly improved by the Romans, so that in the 1st century AD it was in a most flourishing condition. 
On their first missionary journey Paul and Barnabas passed through it (Acts 13:4; Acts 14:26), and though it is not named in Acts 15:30, 39, this route is again implied; while it is excluded in Acts 15:3.
The ruins are very extensive and cover the whole space within the line of the old walls, which shows a circuit of 6.45 km (4 miles). The position of the Old Town, the Upper City and the suburbs may still be identified, as also that of the Antioch Gate, the Market Gate and the King's Gate, which last leads to the Upper City. There are rock-cut tombs, broken statuary and sarcophagi at the base of the Upper City, a position which probably represents the burial place of the Seleucids. The outline of a circus or amphitheatre can also be traced, while the inner harbour is in perfect condition and full of water. It is 610 m (2,000 ft.) long by 365.75 m (1,200 ft.) broad, and covers 190,202 m² (47 acres), being oval or pear-shaped. The passage seaward, now silted up, was protected by two strong piers or moles, which are locally named after Barnabas and Paul. The most remarkable of the remains, however, is the great water canal behind the city, which the emperor Constantine cut through the solid rock in 338 AD.  It is 937 m (3,074 ft.) long, has an average breadth of 6 m (20 ft.), and is in some places 36.5 m (120 ft.) deep. Two portions of 31 m (102 ft.) and 89 m (293 ft.) in length are tunnelled. The object of the work was clearly to carry the mountain torrent direct to the sea, and so protect the city from the risk of flood during the wet season.
Church synods occasionally met in Seleucia in the early centuries, but it gradually sank into decay, and long before the advent of Islam it had lost all its significance.
Acts 13:4 - So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia. From there they sailed to Cyprus}

_{Smyrna (Izmir) Acts 20:1(-); Rev 1:11; 2:8-11
Smyrna, a large ancient city on the western coast of Asia Minor was originally populated by the Asiatics known as the Lelages. It has been taken from the Lelages by the Aeolian Greeks about 1100 BC; there still remain traces of the cyclopean masonry of that early time.
In 688 BC it passed into the possession of the Ionian Greeks and was made one of the cities of the Ionian confederacy, but in 627 B.C. it was taken by the Lydians. During the years 301 to 281 BC Lysimachus entirely rebuilt it on a new site, and surrounded it by a wall.
It early became a great trading-centre and the chief port for the export trade. 
In Roman times, Smyrna was considered the most brilliant city of Asia Minor, successfully rivalling Pergamum and Ephesus. Its streets were wide and paved. Its system of coinage was old; it was celebrated for its schools of science and medicine, and for its handsome buildings. Among them was the Homerium, for Smyrna was one of several places which claimed to be the birthplace of the poet; on the slope of Mt. Pagus was a theatre which seated 20.000 spectators.
Smyrna early became a Christian city, for there was one of the Seven Churches of the Book of Revelation (Rev: 2:8-11). There Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna, was martyred, though without the sanction of the Roman government. It seems that the Jews of Smyrna were more antagonistic than were the Romans to the spread of Christianity, for it is said that even on Saturday, their sacred day, they brought wood for the fire in which Polycarp was burned. His grave is still shown in a cemetery there. 
During the Middle Ages the city was the scene of many struggles, the most fierce of which was directed by Timur against the Christians. Smyrna was the last of the Christian cities to hold out against the Muslims; in 1424 it fell into the hands of the Turks.
Revelation 1:11 - saying, What you see, write in a book and send to the seven assemblies : to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.
Revelation 2:8 - To the angel of the assembly in Smyrna write: The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life says these things:}

_{Tarsus (Kue) Acts 9:11, 30; 11:25; 21:39; 22:3 
Tarsus was the capital of the Roman Province of Cilicia, situated between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. The Province of Cilicia varied between 48 km (30 miles) to 96.5 km (60 miles) wide and was about 483 km (300 miles) long. The city of Tarsus was about 16 km (10 miles) inland of the Mediterranean on the alluvial plain, watered by the Cydnus and may have had as many as one half million inhabitants in the time of St. Paul. 
Ramsay believes that Tarsus existed from time immemorial as a native Cilician settlement, to which was added, at some early date unknown to us, a body of Ionians, which migrated from the western coast of Asia Minor under the auspices and direction of the oracle of Clarian Apollo near Colophon. The earliest historical record of the town is found on the Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser, about 850 BC where it figures among the places captured by that king. It is thus proved that Tarsus already existed at that remote date. For many centuries it remained an oriental rather than a Hellenic city, and its history is almost a blank. After the fall of the Assyrian empire, Cilicia may have regained its independence, at least partially, but it subsequently became a province of the Persian Empire, paying, according to Herodotus, to the Great King an annual tribute of 260 white horses and 500 talents of silver and contributing considerable fleets, when required, to the Persian navy. In 333 BC Alexander the Great passed through the Cilician Gates on his way to Issus, where he met and routed the Persian army under Darius III. Alexander's overthrow of the Persian power brought about a strong Hellenic reaction in South-eastern Asia Minor and must have strengthened the Greek element in Tarsus, but more than a century and a half were to elapse before the city attained that civic autonomy which was the ideal and the boast of the Greek polis. 
After Alexander's death in 323 BC Cilicia ultimately fell under the rule of the Seleucid kings of Syria, whose capital was Antioch on the Orontes.
Tarsus was first mentioned in the Bible in c.171 BC. In 2 Maccabees 4:30 we read that, about 171 it came to pass that they of Tarsus and Mallus made insurrection, because they were to be given as a present to Antiochis, the king's concubine. The king therefore came to Cilicia in all haste to settle matters. The fact that Tarsus struck its own coins from this reign onward testifies that it was granted at least a municipal independence. Gradually, Tarsus becomes a city of Hellenistic constitution. 
After 104 BC Tarsus was under the Hem Province and, temporary under the Tigranes of Armenia. 
Julius Caesar passed through the city in 47 BC on his march from Egypt to Pontus, and was enthusiastically received. In his honor the name Tarsus was changed to Juliopolis, but this lasted for short time only. 
After the overthrow of the republican cause at Philippi and the assignment of the East to Antony's administration, Tarsus received the position of an independent and duty-free state (civitas libera et immunis) and became for some time Antony's place of residence. This privileged status was confirmed by Augustus after the victory of Actium had made him sole master of the Roman Empire (31 B.C.). It did not by itself bestow Roman citizenship on the Tarsinas, but doubtless there were many natives of the city to whom Pompey, Caesar, Antony and Augustus granted that honor for themselves and, as a consequence, for their descendants.
Paul was born in Tarsus (Acts 22:3) as a citizen (Acts 9:11; Acts 21:39) where his father had possessed the coveted privilege (Acts 22:28). The city’s ancient traditions and that time greatness explain and justify the pride with which he claimed to be a citizen of no mean city (Acts 21:39). It is probable that his forefathers had been among the Jews settled at Tarsus by Antiochus Epiphanes, who, without sacrificing nationality or religion, became citizens of a community organized after the Greek model.
It is a fascinating to trace in Paul's life and writings the influence of his Tarsian ancestry, birth and early life. 
How long Paul remained at Tarsus before beginning his studies in Jerusalem it’s hard to say. His own declaration that he was born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city (Acts 22:3) seems to show that his training at Jerusalem began at an early age, and is inconsistent with the supposition that he was one of those Tarsian students who, after studying at their native university, completed their education abroad. During his first visit to Jerusalem after his conversion, plots were formed against his life, and he was induced to return to Tarsus (Acts 9:30), where, according to Ramsay's chronology, he remained for some 8 years. Thither Barnabas went to seek him when he felt the need of a helper in dealing with the new problems involved in the growth of the Antiochene church and the admission into it of Gentiles in considerable numbers (Acts 11:25). Tarsus is not again mentioned in the New Testament, but Paul doubtless revisited it on his second missionary journey, when he went through Syria and Cilicia (Acts 15:41), and traveled thence by way of the Cilician Gates into Lycaonia, and again at the beginning of his third journey when, after some time spent at Antioch, he departed, and went through the region of Galatia, and Phrygia, in order (Acts 18:23). 
1 Kings 10:28 - The horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt; and the king's merchants received them in droves, each drove at a price.
2 Chronicles 1:16 - The horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt and from Kue; the king's merchants purchased them from Kue}

_{Thyatira (Akhisar) Rev 1:11; 2:18
Thyatira’s early history is not well known, for until it was re-founded by Seleucus Nicator (301-281 BC) it was a small, insignificant town. It stood on none of the Greek trade routes, but upon the lesser road between Pergamum and Sardis, and derived its wealth from the Lycus valley in which it rapidly became a commercial centre, but never a metropolis. 
The name Thyatira means the castle of Thya. Other names which it has borne are Pelopia and Semiramis. Before the time of Nicator the place was regarded as a holy city, for there stood the temple of the ancient Lydian sun-god, Tyrimnos; about it games were held in his honor. A goddess associated with him was Boreatene, a deity of less importance. Another temple at Thyatira was dedicated to Sambethe, and at this shrine was a prophetess, by some supposed to represent the Jezebel of Revelation 2:20, who uttered the sayings which this deity would impart to the worshippers. 
Thyatira was specially noted for the trade guilds which were more completely organized there than in any other ancient city. Every artisan belonged to a guild, and every guild, which was an incorporated organization, possessed property in its own name, made contracts for great constructions, and wielded a wide influence. Powerful among them were the guild of coppersmiths and the guild of the dyers. A member of the latter guild seems to have been Lydia of Thyatira, who, according to Acts 16:14, sold her dyes in Philippi. 
The nature of the guilds was such that they were opposed to Christianity. According to Acts 19:10 Paul preached there while he was living at Ephesus. Yet Christianity reached there at an early time. It was taught by many of the early church that no Christian might belong to one of the guilds, and thus the greatest opposition to Christianity was presented. 
The church at Thyatira represented by a convert who was away doing business in Philippi (Lydia, cp. Acts 16:14) was also more open to heresy. The letter of St. John to the church suggests that her openness and gentleness in the face of heresy (Jezebel and Nicolaitines) was her downfall (Rev. 2:18-23).
About 150 AD, Montanus began a cult practice from Thyatira, claiming his prophetesses spoke with the voice of the Holy Spirit (hence, Montanism).
The city was wealthy, but did not reach its zenith until the 2nd century AD.
 Points of interest for the visitor today include the ruins of a temple. Thyatira's ancient ruins were left untouched until Rustem Duyuran began to excavate the site from 1968 to 1971. Numerous inscriptions were found (21 sent to Manisa Museum), along with the location of the colonnaded stoa and other public buildings. 
Acts 16:14 - A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul.
Revelation 1:11 - saying, What you see, write in a book and send to the seven assemblies : to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.
Revelation 2:18 - To the angel of the assembly in Thyatira write: The Son of God, who has his eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are like burnished brass, says these things:
Revelation 2:24 - But to you I say, to the rest who are in Thyatira, as many as don't have this teaching, who don't know what some call ‘the deep things of Satan,' to you I say, I am not putting any other burden on you.}

_{Troas (Dalyan) Acts 16:8-11; 20:1(-), 5-13; 2 Cor 2:12; 2 Tim 4:13 
Troas was the chief city in the Northwest of Asia Minor, on the coast of Mysia in the Roman province of Asia. From here, according to Acts 16:8, Paul sailed. Here, also, according to Acts 20:5-12, Paul raised Eutychus from the dead. The name Troas was not confined to the town itself, but it was also applied to the surrounding district, or to that part of the coast which is now generally known as the Troad. In its early history it bore the name of Antigona Troas, which was given it by its founder Antigonus, but after 300 BC it was generally known to the classical writers as Alexander Troas, a name given to it by Lysimachus. For a time the Seleucid kings made their homes at Troas. Later, when the city became free, it struck its own coins, of which vast numbers are found; a common type is one upon which is stamped a grazing horse. In 133 BC Troas came into the possession of the Romans, and later, during the reign of Augustus, it was made a Roman Colonia, independent of the Roman governor of the province of Asia. Its citizens were then exempt from poll and land tax. During Byzantine times Troas was the seat of a bishopric.
The ruins of Troas are extensive, giving evidence of the great size and importance of the ancient city. They have, however, long been used as a quarry, and the columns of the public buildings were taken to Constantinople for use in the construction of the mosque known as the Yeni Valideh Cami. The site is now mostly overgrown with oaks, but from the higher portions of the ruins there is an extensive view over the sea and the neighbouring islands. It is only with difficulty that one may now trace the city walls and locate the square towers which flanked them at intervals. Within the walls are the remains of theatre, the temple and the gymnasium, which was provided with baths. The port from which Paul sailed was constructed by means of a mole, with an outer and an inner basin. The most imposing of the ruins, however, is a large aqueduct which was built in the time of Trajan.
After the split with Barnabas, St. Paul and Silas proceeded to visit the churches of the First Mission Journey in Syria and Cilicia, and then on into southern Galatia (Acts 15:36-41) carrying the message of the Jerusalem Council to the churches. Eventually they headed west toward Europe. Stopping at Troas, St. Paul appeared to desire to turn north into the regions of upper Galatia, but received the vision of the Macedonian Man at Troas. He later described the experience as a door opening in the Lord (2 Cor. 2:12ff). This occurred during St. Paul's Second Journey (Acts 16:6-10). Years later he returned to Troas from his more than two year stay in Ephesus (Acts 19:8,10) toward the end of the St. Paul's third journey, before continuing on to Assos. During the last seven day stay at Troas, the fallen Eutychus was healed (Acts 20:8-12). Some suggest that St. Paul’s urgent request to return a cloak he left in Troas (2 Timothy 4:13) may have reflected that St. Pauls departure from the city was hurried. Later church history recalls the reference to Ignatius, after writing three Epistles at Troas, set sail under arrest to Rome. 
Acts 16:8 - Passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas.
Acts 16:11 - Setting sail therefore from Troas, we made a straight course to Samothrace, and the day following to Neapolis;
Acts 20:5 - But these had gone ahead, and were waiting for us at Troas.
Acts 20:6 - We sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and came to them at Troas in five days, where we stayed seven days.
2 Corinthians 2:12 - Now when I came to Troas for the Good News of Christ, and when a door was opened to me in the Lord,
2 Timothy 4:13 - Bring the cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus when you come, and the books, especially the parchments.}