Elaiussa Sebaste

From Turkey Travel Guide

Elaiussa Sebaste is a ruined city near Mersin.

[edit] History

The town was founded in the second century BC, named for the olives cultivated there. It rose to its golden age in the first century AD, when piracy in the area was diminished under Roman Emperor Vespasian. Still, the city gradually lessened in importance as neighboring rivals, the Sassanians and Isaurians grew and began to impede on Elaiussain territory. Still, the city survived through the Roman period and even into the early Byzantine era. Its final decline happened with the growth of Corycus in the 6th century.

[edit] Visitor's Guide

On the peninsula, on the sea side of the highway, the ruins of the original city stand in what was once the most secure part of town, between two harbors. On the western side, a bathhouse, cistern, and defensive wall stand. There is also a protective breakwater built along the sea. To the east are a small, round basilica and a bathhouse with a mosaic pattern floor.

Across the highway are more ruins. The city's small theater stands with only 23 rows of seats and stripped of its adornments in the many raids and invasions that passed through. The agora is surrounded by a defensive wall that was once decorated with lion fountains. Inside is is a church with sand protecting its mosaic floors. To the north is a large bath complex, with separate rooms for hot, lukewarm, and cold. Past that was a temple, of which only two Corinthian pillars remain.

[edit] Getting there

From Kız Kalesi, take the Mersin-Silifke highway about 3 kilometers east. The site is on both sides of the road.

[edit] Eat & Drink

The near by town of Ayas has a few cafes and kiosks where meals and drinks can be purchased.

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[edit] External links