Tarsus
Birthplace of Saint Paul the Apostle
Why this destination matters
Tarsus, in ancient Cilicia, was the birthplace of Saul of Tarsus - Paul the Apostle, Roman citizen, tribe of Benjamin (Acts 22:3; Philippians 3:5). It was a major Hellenistic city, home of one of the leading philosophical schools of the Roman world, and Paul returned here several times across his life (Acts 9:30, 11:25, 21:39).
Pope Benedict XVI declared a special Year of Saint Paul from June 2008 to June 2009 marking the 2,000th anniversary of the Apostle's birth. Tarsus has been on the UNESCO Tentative List since 2000.
The city today is a modest provincial centre near Mersin and Adana. The principal sites - Saint Paul's Well, the Memorial Church, the preserved Roman road, Cleopatra's Gate and the small archaeology museum - can all be visited in a half day, often combined with Antakya or Konya on a Pauline circuit.
Key sites to visit
Saint Paul's Well
30-metre-deep Roman well preserved on the traditional site of Paul's family home. Free entry; small donation appreciated.
Saint Paul's Memorial Church / Museum
1862 Catholic-built church (formerly Armenian), reopened as a museum-cum-occasional-pilgrim-church in 2001. Mass occasionally celebrated with permission.
Preserved Roman Road
Excavated section of the original basalt-paved Roman road that Paul would have walked.
Cleopatra's Gate
Triple-arched Roman gate where Antony and Cleopatra are said to have met in 41 BC.
Eski Cami
Former cathedral church of Tarsus, now a mosque; structurally largely Byzantine.
Tarsus Archaeology Museum
Compact museum with Roman and Byzantine finds.
Best time to visit
March-May and October-November.
Key feast days
- 29 June - Saints Peter and Paul
How to get there
Adana (ADA) airport, 40 km. Frequent intercity buses and the Mersin-Adana suburban train serve Tarsus station.
Where to stay
Most pilgrims stay in Adana (more hotel choice) or Mersin (cleaner seafront). Tarsus itself has a handful of modest hotels.
Tours and experiences
Half-day Tarsus tours combine the Well, Memorial Church, Roman Road, Cleopatra's Gate and the museum. Multi-day Pauline pilgrimages combine Tarsus with Antakya, Konya (Iconium) and Pisidian Antioch.
Practical information
- Hours
- Saint Paul's Well 08:30-17:30; Memorial Church 08:30-17:30; Roman Road open access.
- Fees
- Approximate 2026 - verify on muze.gov.tr. Saint Paul's Well ~3 EUR; Memorial Church ~5 EUR; museum ~3 EUR. Museum Pass Turkiye usually valid.
- Dress code
- Modest dress at the church and at the Eski Cami mosque.
- Accessibility
- Mostly flat city-centre walking; the Roman Road and Cleopatra's Gate are within 1 km of each other.
Pilgrim tips
💡 Practical advice for pilgrims
- Tarsus is comfortably visited as a half-day excursion from Adana (40 km, 50 minutes by highway). Most pilgrim groups combine Tarsus with the Adana Roman Bridge and the Sabanci Central Mosque visits.
- The Saint Paul's Well (Saint Paul Kuyusu) is the principal focal point — a 1st-century Roman well in the courtyard of the family home traditionally identified as Paul's birthplace. Pilgrims drink from the well and fill bottles to carry home.
- The Saint Paul Memorial Church (a converted Armenian church, now a museum and Catholic Mass venue by appointment) is the only church building in Tarsus where Catholic and Protestant pilgrims can hold a service — arrange via the Latin Catholic Vicariate of Anatolia.
- Avoid mid-July to mid-August: Tarsus reaches 38°C and is sweltering and humid. April-May and October are by far the best months.
- Tarsus has limited tourist infrastructure — eat lunch in Adana or Mersin rather than relying on Tarsus restaurants. The town's main income is agricultural, not tourism.
- The Cleopatra's Gate (Kleopatra Kapisi) commemorates Mark Antony and Cleopatra's 41 BC meeting at Tarsus. Paul, born around 5 AD, would have walked through this gate as a child.
Did you know?
ℹ️ Fascinating facts
- Tarsus was the capital of the Roman province of Cilicia and home to a celebrated school of philosophy that rivalled Athens and Alexandria. Paul's claim 'I am a citizen of no mean city' (Acts 21:39) was justified — Tarsus had a university tradition centuries old.
- Paul learned tent-making here (Acts 18:3) — the local industry was 'cilicium', a goat-hair cloth used for tents and military equipment. The technical skill provided his self-financing during the missionary journeys.
- Three Roman figures of note visited Tarsus: Julius Caesar in 47 BC, Cicero as proconsul in 51 BC, and Mark Antony with Cleopatra in 41 BC. Paul's Tarsus was at the centre of late-republican imperial geopolitics.
- Saint Paul's Well water has been continuously consumed by Christian pilgrims since the late Roman period. Modern water-quality testing (Çukurova University, 2018) confirmed the well is drinkable.
Biblical references
- Acts 9:11 — “And the Lord said unto him, 'Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus.'”
- Acts 9:30 — “When the brethren knew this, they brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.”
- Acts 11:25 — “Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul.”
- Acts 21:39 — “I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city.”
- Acts 22:3 — “I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia.”
- Philippians 3:5 — “Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin.”
Suggested reading before you go
| Title / Reference | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Paul: A Biography (N. T. Wright) | The most readable modern biography. Wright opens with Tarsus and Paul's Greco-Roman education — essential context for visiting his birthplace. |
| Acts of the Apostles 9:11-30, 21:39, 22:3 | The Lucan references to Paul's Tarsian origin. Read these passages at the Saint Paul's Well. |
| Paul and the Stoics (Troels Engberg-Pedersen) | The standard scholarly study of how Paul's Tarsian education in Stoic philosophy shaped his Christian theology. Demanding but rewarding. |
Nearby destinations to combine
Antakya / Antioch
Where the disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:26)
Cappadocia
Rock-hewn churches of the Cappadocian Fathers
Demre / Myra
Tomb of Saint Nicholas in 5th-century Byzantine Myra
Featured on these routes
- Footsteps of Saint Paul — Tarsus to Rome - the missionary journeys of the Apostle
- Cradle of Christianity — Antakya - Tarsus - Cappadocia
Frequently asked questions
Names in other languages
| Turkish | Tarsus |
|---|---|
| Greek | Tarsos |
| German | Tarsus |
| Russian | Tars |
| French | Tarse |
| Italian | Tarso |
| Arabic | Tarsus |