Mersin Province ( tr, ), formerly İçel Province ( tr, ), is a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

in southern

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

, on the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

coast between

Antalya la, Attalensis grc, Ἀτταλειώτης , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 07xxx , area_code = (+90) 242 , registration_plate = 07 , blank_name = Licence plate ...

and

Adana Adana (; ; ) is a major city in southern Turkey. It is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The administrative seat of Adana province, it has a population of 2.26 million. Adana lies in the heart of Cilicia, wh ...

. The provincial capital and the biggest city in the province is Mersin, which is composed of four municipalities and district governorates: Akdeniz,

Mezitli Mezitli is a municipality and district governorate in Greater Mersin, Turkey. Mersin is one of 30 metropolitan centers in Turkey with more than one municipality within city borders. Now in Mersin there are four second-level municipalities in add ...

Toroslar Toroslar is a municipality and district governorate in Greater Mersin, Turkey. Mersin is one of 30 metropolitan centers in Turkey with more than one municipality within city borders. Now in Mersin there are four second-level municipalities in a ...

and Yenişehir. Next largest is Tarsus, the birthplace of Paul the Apostle. The province is considered to be a part of the geographical, economical and cultural region of Çukurova, which covers the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye and Hatay. The capital of the province is the city of Mersin.

Etymology

The province is named after its biggest city Mersin. Mersin was named after the aromatic plant genus '' Myrsine'' ( el, Μυρσίνη, tr, mersin) in the family

Primulaceae The Primulaceae , commonly known as the primrose family (but not related to the evening primrose family), are a family of herbaceous and woody flowering plants including some favourite garden plants and wildflowers. Most are perennial though som ...

, a myrtle that grows in abundance in the area. The 17th-century Ottoman traveler

Evliya Çelebi Derviş Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi ( ota, اوليا چلبى), was an Ottoman explorer who travelled through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years, recording ...

has recorded in his '' Seyahatnâme'' that there was also a clan named Mersinoğulları in the area. MERSİN-2

Geography

Ninth biggest province of Turkey by land area, Mersin consists %2,02 of

. 87% of the land area is mountain, leading up to the rocky heights of the central

Taurus Mountains The Taurus Mountains ( Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar'') are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğird ...

, the highest peak is Medetsiz (3,584 m) in the Bolkar range, and there are a number of important passes over to central

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

. There are many high meadows and small plains between 700 and 1500m. The coastal strip has many large areas of flatland, formed from soil brought down by rivers and streams running off the mountains. This is fertile land, the largest area being the plain of Tarsus. The largest rivers are the

Göksu The Göksu ( Turkish for "sky water" also called ''Geuk Su'', ''Goksu Nehri''; la, Saleph, grc, Καλύκαδνος, translit=Calycadnus) is a river on the Taşeli plateau (Turkey). Both its sources arise in the Taurus Mountains—the norther ...

and the Berdan (Göksu ''Calycadnus'' and Berdan ''Cydnus'' of antiquity), but there are many small streams running into lakes, reservoirs or the Mediterranean sea. Mersin has 321 km of coastline, much of it sandy beach. The climate is typical of the Mediterranean; very hot and very humid in summer, warm and wet in winter; the winter rains can be very heavy and flooding is a problem in many areas, but it never snows on the coast, although there is snow in the mountainous areas.

History

In antiquity, this coast was part of

Cilicia Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern coa ...

, named for a

Phoenicia Phoenicia () was an ancient thalassocratic civilization originating in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily located in modern Lebanon. The territory of the Phoenician city-states extended and shrank throughout their histor ...

n or

Assyria Assyria ( Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , romanized: ''māt Aššur''; syc, ܐܬܘܪ, ʾāthor) was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization which existed as a city-state at times controlling regional territories in the indigenous lands of the ...

n prince that had settled here. Trade from Syria and

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...

over the mountains to central

passed through here, through the

Cilician Gates The Cilician Gates or Gülek Pass is a pass through the Taurus Mountains connecting the low plains of Cilicia to the Anatolian Plateau, by way of the narrow gorge of the Gökoluk River. Its highest elevation is about 1000m. The Cilician Gates ha ...

. The geographer Strabo, described the region as being divided into "Rugged Cilicia" (''Cilicia Trachea'', Κιλικία Τραχεία in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

) and "Flat Cilicia" (''Cilicia Pedias'', Κιλικία Πεδιάς). The capital of both sections of Cilicia was Tarsus and Mersin was its seaport.

Administration

As of 1933, there were two separate provinces, namely İçel and Mersin, on the territory of today's Mersin Province. When the Mersin Province was abolished and merged with the İçel Province, the seat of the latter was moved from

Silifke Silifke ( grc-gre, Σελεύκεια, ''Seleukeia'', la, Seleucia ad Calycadnum) is a town and district in south-central Mersin Province, Turkey, west of the city of Mersin, on the west end of Çukurova. Silifke is near the Mediterranean co ...

to Mersin. In 2002, the province's name was changed from İçel to Mersin but the province retained the license plate number of 33, İçel having been the 33rd in the alphabetical order of Turkish province names.

Districts

Mersin province is divided into thirteen districts four of which are actually included within the municipality of Mersin city (shown in boldface letters). * Akdeniz *

Anamur Anamur is a town and district in Mersin Province, Turkey, the westernmost district of that province, bordering on Antalya Province. Anamur contains Anatolia's southernmost point, It is a coastal resort known for its bananas and peanuts. Etym ...

* Aydıncık *

Bozyazı Bozyazı is a town and district of Mersin Province on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, west of the city of Mersin. Geography Bozyazı is a remote coastal district with the Taurus Mountains as a backdrop; The roads over the mountains or along t ...

Çamlıyayla Çamlıyayla is a town and district of Mersin Province in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. The district has a population of 10,558 of which 3335 lives in the town of Çamlıyayl Çamlıyayla is a small district high in the Taurus Mountains. I ...

* Erdemli *

Gülnar Gülnar is a district of Mersin Province of Turkey, south-west of the city of Mersin. Geography The town of Gülnar is inland on a plain high in the Taurus Mountains, attractive countryside known for its vineyards and its green meadows used for ...

Mut Mut, also known as Maut and Mout, was a mother goddess worshipped in ancient Egypt and the Kingdom of Kush in present-day North Sudan. In Meroitic, her name was pronounced mata): 𐦨𐦴. Her name means ''mother'' in the ancient Egyptian l ...

* Tarsus *

* Yenişehir

Demographics

About 50% of the population of the province is younger than 24 years of age. 68% were born in Mersin. The

literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

is 89%. About 43% of the male population and about 27% of the female population graduated from middle school. Infant mortality is 0.48%. Urban population growth rate is 2.42%.

Population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

is 117 as of November 2020.(In the table below, the four second-level municipalities are merged within Mersin proper.)

Economy

The city of Mersin is one of busiest cities in Turkey. Due to the economic activity in this part of Turkey generated by the GAP Project Mersin is Turkey's biggest Mediterranean port, and also hosts an oil refinery and a

free trade zone A free-trade zone (FTZ) is a class of special economic zone. It is a geographic area where goods may be imported, stored, handled, manufactured, or reconfigured and re-exported under specific customs regulation and generally not subject to cu ...

; there are a number of factories along the road between Mersin and

, manufacturing glass, detergents, fertilizers and many more. With all this activity a modern city has grown with a university and other major amenities.

Tourism

Mersin does not have the huge volume of tourists enjoyed by neighbouring

Antalya la, Attalensis grc, Ἀτταλειώτης , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 07xxx , area_code = (+90) 242 , registration_plate = 07 , blank_name = Licence plate ...

or the Aegean coast, but Turkish people do come to this coast, especially now that the hotels have air-conditioning, and perhaps more to the mountain country behind where there are healing mineral water springs. In summer the hills are a popular retreat from the high humidity and extreme heat on the coast. West of Mersin includes bays, and little islands. Yacht touring is a tourism income in these areas.

Places of interest

* The city of Tarsus, birthplace of St Paul, whose house and well are sites of Christian pilgrimage. *

- ancient Seleucia in Isauria, buildings include the church of Aya Tekla, the first female saint. *The ancient Roman town of Soloi-Pompeiopolis, now within the city
About Mersin
*The ancient Roman town of Anemurium, adjacent to the modern town of

. *Another ancient city of Elaiussa Sebaste, 55 km from the city of Mersin. * Castles including Mamure,

Kızkalesi Kızkalesi ( en, Maiden's castle) is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey. The town, known in Antiquity as Corycus or Korykos ( el, Κώρυκος), is named after the ancient castle built on a small island just facing the town. Geography Kızk ...

and Namrun.

Towns and other geographic features

Towns

* Arslanköy * Ayvagediği * Büyükeceli *

Çarıklar Çarıklar is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey. Geography Çarıklar is a town within Anamur Anamur is a town and district in Mersin Province, Turkey, the westernmost district of that province, bordering on Antalya Province. Anamur cont ...

Çeşmeli Çeşmeli is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey. Geography Çeşmeli is a part of Erdemli district which itself is a part of Mersin Province. The midtown is situated two kilometers north of Mediterranean seaside and at the east of the rivulet K ...

* Gözne * Gülek * Fındıkpınarı *

Kargıpınarı Kargıpınarı (former ''Gilindire'') is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey Geography Kargıpınarı is situated on the Mersin Antalya highway at . It is a part of Erdemli district which in turn is a part of Mersin Province. The town is east ...

Kocahasanlı Kocahasanlı is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey Geography Kocahasanlı is a part of Erdemli district of Mersin Province. The distance to Erdemli is and to Mersin is The population was 5459 as of 2012. People and History Although there ...

* Köseçobanlı * Kuskan *

Limonlu Limonlu (ancient: ''Antiochia Lamotidos''; Byzantine: ''Lamousia''; Arabic: ''Lāmis''; Armenian: ''Lamos'') is a small town in Mersin Province, Turkey (Popularly called Lamas). Geography Limonlu is a coastal town at It is by the river Limon ...

* Narlıkuyu * Ören *

Sebil A sebil or sabil ( ar, سبيل, sabīl ; Turkish: ''sebil'') is a small kiosk in the Islamic architectural tradition where water is freely dispensed to members of the public by an attendant behind a grilled window. The term is sometimes also ...

* Taşucu * Tekeli * Tekmen * Uzuncaburç * Yenice * Yeşilovacık * Yeşiltepe * Zeyne

Archaeological and historical

* Adamkayalar * Alahan Monastery * Altından geçme * Akhayat sinkhole *

Aya Tekla Church Aya Tekla Church ( gr, Ἁγία Θέκλα, ''Hagia Thékla''; tr, Aya Tekla Kilisesi), also known as Aya Thecla or Aya Thekla, is a ruined historic church (building), church of the Byzantine period in Turkey. It was a popular pilgrimage site, ...

Baç Bridge Baç Bridge ( tr, Baç Köprüsü also called ''Justinyen Köprüsü'') is a bridge in Tarsus, Mersin, Tarsus in Mersin Province, Turkey Geography The bridge is situated to the east of the city at about . Its distance to Tarsus city center is abo ...

* Bilal Habeşi Masjid * Canbazlı ruins * Caracalla's inscription * Cennet and Cehennem * Cleopatra's gate * Corycus * Çanakçı rock tombs * Dörtayak * Gözlükule * Kanlıdivane * Karakabaklı * Kırkkaşık Bedesten *

Laal Pasha Mosque Laal Pasha Mosque is a Medieval mosque in Mut in Mersin Province, Turkey. (Names such as Lal Pasha, Lael Pasha and Lala Agha are also used.) History Laal Pasha was a high-ranking bureaucrat in the Turkmen state of Karamanids in Anatolia. In ...

* Lamas Aqueduct * Mancınık Castle *

Mamure Castle Mamure Castletr, Mamure kalesi) is a medieval castle in the Bozdoğan, Anamur, Bozdogan village, Anamur ilçe (district) of Mersin Province, Turkey. Geography The castle is on the Mediterranean coast about , on the D400 highway, east of An ...

* Meydancık Castle * Mezgitkale * Mut Castle *

Olba (ancient city) Olba or Olbe ( grc, Ὄλβη; tr, Oura) was an ancient city and bishopric in the Roman province of Isauria, in present-day southern Turkey. It is included in the Catholic Church's list of Latin titular sees. History Olba was a city of ...

* Öküzlü ruins * Paşa Türbesi *

Roman road in Cilicia The Roman road in Cilicia ( tr, Roma yolu) is a part of a Roman road in Mersin Province, Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located ...

* Saint Paul's Church, Tarsus * Silifke Castle * Sinekkale *

Soli, Cilicia Soli ( grc, Σόλοι, ''Sóloi''), often rendered Soli/Pompeiopolis ( grc, Πομπηϊούπολις), was an ancient city and port in Cilicia, 11 km west of Mersin in present-day Turkey. Geography Located in Southern Anatolia, on the ...

* Tapureli ruins * Tarsus Grand Mosque * Taşgeçit Bridge * Tekir ambarı * Üçayaklı ruins * Veyselli rock reliefs * Yanıkhan *

Yumuktepe Yumuktepe (or Yümüktepe) is a tell (ruin mound) at within the city borders of Mersin, Turkey. In 1936, the mound was on the outskirts of Mersin, but after a rapid increase of population, the mound was surrounded by the Toroslar municipality o ...

Museums

Anamur Museum Anamur Museum is a museum of archaeology and ethnography in Anamur ilçe (district) of Mersin Province, southern Turkey. Location The museum is the Yalıevleri (coastal) neighborhood of Anamur at . Mouth of Dragon Creek is to the to the east o ...

Mersin Museum Mersin Museum is the main museum of Mersin, Turkey. It is operated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. However after establishing a new museum, i.e., Mersin Archaeological Museum most of the exhibits were moved to the new museum. History ...

Mersin Atatürk Museum The Atatürk Museum in Mersin ( tr, Mersin Atatürk Evi Müzesi) is a two-storey house in Mersin, which hosted the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his wife in 1925. History The house was originally built in 1897 by H. Ch ...

* Mersin Naval Museum *

Mersin Urban History Museum Mersin Urban History Museum ( tr, Mersin Kent Tarihi Müzesi) is a private museum in Mersin, Turkey. Location and the History The museum at is in Akdeniz secondary municipality of Mersin, ant it lies about from the Mediterranean Sea. It is a ...

* Mersin Water Museum * Narlıkuyu Museum * Silifke Museum * Silifke Atatürk Museum * Tarsus Museum

Other

2013 Mediterranean Games The 2013 Mediterranean Games ( tr, 2013 Akdeniz Oyunları), officially known as the XVII Mediterranean Games ( tr, XVII Akdeniz Oyunları) and commonly known as Mersin 2013, was an international multi-sport event held from 20 to 30 June 2013 i ...

Berdan River The Berdan (also Baradān or Baradā), the ancient Cydnus ( el, Κύδνος), is a river in Mersin Province, south Turkey. The historical city of Tarsus is on the river and it is therefore sometimes called the Tarsus River. Originally the wat ...

* Cyprus Memorial Cemetery in Silifke * Çukurova * Dana Adası * Gulf of Mersin * Karabucak Forest * Karakız Lake *

List of municipalities in Mersin Province This is the List of municipalities in Mersin Province, Turkey . Municipalities and mayors (''Color legend for the statue of the settlement. Each status group is sorted alphabetically within the group'') Changes in 2014 According to Law act ...

List of populated places in Mersin Province Below is the list of populated places in Mersin Province, Turkey by the ilçes (districts).İl Be ...

* Mersin Congress and Exhibition Center *

Mersin Grand Mosque Mersin Grand Mosque ( tr, Mersin Ulucami) is a Grand Mosque in Mersin, Turkey. History The original mosque, then named Yeni Cami ( tr, New Mosque), was built in 1898 by the leading people (like Abdülkadir Seydavi) of Mersin. In the 1970s, t ...

* Mersin Harbor * Mezitli River * Muğdat Mosque * Müftü River * Tourism centers of Mersin Province * Transport in Mersin Province * Yenice Conference (''Yenice Görüşmesi'' )

Gallery

File:Mersin Yenişehir shore.JPG , Mersin
Mediterranean sea shore File:Refah monument from the south, Mersin.JPG, Mersin
Refah monument File:Mersin lighthouse from the south.jpg, Mersin
Light house File:Mersin harbor from the west.jpg, Mersin
Harbor File:Soli ruins, Mersin.jpg , Mersin
Soli ruins File:Castle in Mamure, Anamur, Turkey from the Sea.jpg,

Mamure castle File:Aynalıgöl cave.JPG , Aydıncık
Aynalıgöl File:Kelenderis.jpg, Aydıncık
Detail from the mosaic File:Dörtayak.jpg , Aydıncık
Dörtayak File:Kadıncık HES, Mersin 01.jpg,

Kadıncık dam File:Kızkalesi (Maiden's castle).jpg, Erdemli
Maiden's castle

Notes

External links

University of Mersin

Real Estate Agency Mersin Turkey

Mersin Technoscope

Mersin Chamber of Commerce and Industry (in English)

Mersin Photographic society (in English)

Mersin Free Zone
{{Authority control