Tarsus

Capital of Cilicia, Paul’s city (Acts 9:11, 30; 11:25; 21:39; 22:3). It was a place of considerable importance (Paul calls it “no mean city”), containing a university celebrated for its school of philosophy and literature. It was situated on an important highway leading from Antioch, through the Cilician Gates (a pass in the Taurus mountains), toward the cities of the Roman province of Asia.