Divan Mersin

Located in the Silifke municipality, the actual names of these giant caves are Heaven's Sinkhole and Hell's Hole. The caves which are located 80 meters (262 ft.) from each other are respectively 70 meters (230 ft.) and 128 meters (420 ft.) deep. Hell's Hole cannot be descended without spelunking equipment due to its concave walls; however, it is possible to peer into its eerie and seemingly endless depths from a special viewing platform. Visitors descend into Heaven's Sinkhole towards lush green foliage along a tree-shaded staircase and at one point actually disappear from sight! Although one cannot enter Hell's Hole, leaving the cool base of Heaven's Sinkhole gently echoing with the sounds of its subterranean waters on a seemingly endless climb to the surface can seem like the torments of hell.

 

The most striking fact about this ancient city, which dates to 3,000 years before the Common Era, is that it was built around a giant 30-meters (98 ft.) deep sinkhole. Because of its enormous size this sinkhole was accorded sacred status by a variety of civilizations, and as a result the city itself became a religious center. According to legend, cruel kings threw criminals into the sinkhole where they were devoured by lions, a legend that some say is the source of the city's name. However, the staircases descending into the sinkhole and the caves located there indicate that the sinkhole itself was inhabited. The area offers a variety of historic treasures to discover from the relief carvings inside the sinkhole to the streets, graves and basilicas that surround it, while the superior acoustics of the sinkhole make it an outstanding present-day concert venue. 
 

Located in Erdemli Municipality, and bearing the same name as the municipality where it is located, this castle is located on a small island in the middle of the sea 200 meters from the coast, facing another medieval castle, the Korikos Castle. Defended by eight towers, the castle is the most famous of the numerous historic sites in Erdemli, which include aqueducts, rock-cut tombs and churches. Built by the Byzantines in 1104, the castle has a legend associated with it very much like that of Istanbul's famed Maiden's Tower in which a king seeks to protect his daughter from a fated death. As if all this were not enough, the town's sea and beaches are of a quality that cannot be overshadowed by its historic riches.

 

Since 2011, Mersin renowned as a port city and home to the largest port in Turkey, has also been home to the largest marina in the Eastern Mediterranean. Built to help Mersin move one step ahead in the international yacht tourism market, the yacht club covers a total area of 3,500 square meters and provides docking facilities for up to 1,000 yachts. Featuring a restaurant district that is home to the top names in international and Mediterranean dining as well as a 2,000-person amphitheatre, Mersin Marina is the modern face of the city's thousands of years of history. Here you can spend a pleasant afternoon wandering among the shops at the Mersin marina and watch the sun set over a breath-taking view of the Mediterranean.
 

Nusret, the world's most famous minelayer, changed the course of the First World War with the 26 mines that it laid in the Çanakkale Straits in 1915, sending the English fleet to the bottom. This iconic vessel sank in Mersin Harbor in the 1990s and, in 1999, was raised up by volunteers, following which it was purchased by the Tarsus Municipality, which converted it into a floating museum. Since 2003, the Nusret has been on display in a lovely park commemorating the Turkish victory in Gallipoli. In 2015, on the 100th anniversary of the victory, the vessel once again took to the waves, if only symbolically, reminding visitors, thousands of miles from the battlefield of one of the most surprising victories in military history.

 

Of the many antique churches built in honor of St. Paul, who played a central role in the spread of Christianity, the only one that remains standing today is in the city of Tarsus, where he was born. The church, which is believed to have been built between 1100 and 1200 AC, underwent a major restoration in the 1800s. Today, it is a memorial museum that welcomes visitors and Christian pilgrims alike. St. Paul's Well is located in the area where the home of this important historical figure, a native of Tarsus, is believed to have been. The well, whose water is considered sacred by some Christian sects, is 1.15 meters in diameter, and excavations on the site of the well have revealed walls that may be those of the house where St. Paul lived.

 

Tarsus’un en büyük camisi olan Ulu Cami’nin tarihi, Mersin’le beraber şekillenmiştir. Bulunduğu yerde, 9. yüzyılda Abbasiler tarafından bir cami inşa edilmiş, Bizans işgalinden sonra bu yapı St. Pierre Kilisesi’ne çevrilmiştir. 1579 yılında Osmanlı hükümdarlığında ise aynı konuma, Ramazanoğulları’ndan İbrahim Bey tarafından bugünkü Ulu Cami’nin inşası yapılmıştır. Tek minareli yapı çok yakınındaki Aziz Paul Kilisesi ve caminin eski minare kaidesinden çevrilen Tarsus Saat Kulesi ile birlikte bölgenin tarihî dokusunu tamamlar. Caminin siyah beyaz mermerlerle süslü taç kapısı ve 16 kubbeli avlusu görkemli bir karşılama sunarken, avludaki şadırvandan akan suyun sesi ziyaretçilerine kutsal bir mekânın alçak gönüllü huzurunu hatırlatır.
 

The Arslan Eyce Amphora Museum, located in Taşucu, sheds light on the 3,000-year history of these two-handled vessels. The museum's collection features hundreds of amphorae.