Mersin (tur. Mersin) is a city located on the southeastern coast of Turkey (Mersin Gulf), which is home to about 850,000 inhabitants. The administrative center of the il (region) is Mersin. The city is known for its palm-fringed waterfront boulevards, parks, European-style hotels, shopping malls, and a free trade zone.

History
The area began to be populated from the 7th millennium BC. e. During archaeological excavations on the Yumyuk-Tepe hill (tour. Yümüktepe), the English archaeologist John Garstang discovered 23 cultural layers, the earliest dating back to 6300 BC. e. City fortifications were erected in 4500 BC. e., но основное строительство датируется между 3200 и 1200 годами до н. e.
The city is mentioned by many ancient authors. In the days of Ancient Greece, he bore the name Zephyrion (ancient Greek Ζεφύριον). Strabo, an ancient Greek geographer, mentions the area of ​​Cilicia, whose capital was Tarsus (Ταρσός), and Mersin, as the closest port, was the “main gate” of Cilicia. After the heyday of Constantinople, trade shifted there, and Mersin lost its importance. The name of the city was Latinized (Zephyrium), and later it was renamed Adrianopolis in honor of Emperor Hadrian. In the Middle Ages, it was inhabited mainly by Armenians and was part of Cilician Armenia. The Armenians called the city “Zepyur”.
In 1909, Turkey organized throughout Cilicia, including in Mersin, the ethnic cleansing of the Christian population, which remained in history under the name “Cilikian Massacre”. An inquiry into the events was entrusted to a parliamentary commission, whose member Hakob Babigian reported that a total of 21,000 people had been killed, including 19,479 Armenians, 850 Syrians, 422 Chaldeans, and 250 Greeks.
Describing the terrible pogroms, the Russian ambassador to Constantinople I. Zinoviev reports:
“As it is clear from the telegrams I received from our vice-consul in Mersin, Mr. Mavromati, the rampage of Muslims in the Adana vilayet has reached monstrous proportions. The number of dead Christians, especially Armenians, reaches 15,000 people. Our gunboat “Uralets” under the command of Captain 2nd Rank Kuznetsov arrived in Alexandretta on 15 (28) of this month … ”
By a telegram dated April 19 (May 2), the commander of the gunboat “Uralets”, Captain 2nd Rank Kuznetsov, informs the Russian ambassador that, having arrived in Mersin, he found there many women and children left after the beating of their husbands and fathers:
“On this day, Russian sailors landed on the shore and, pointing their rifles at the crowd of rioters, forced them to scatter back home. Russian sailors landed on this shore. They, taking on board about 70 people, most of whom were women and children, rescued them and transported them to Alexandretta … ”
After the massacre of 1909, a large number of Muslims resettled in Mersin, who were settled in the houses of murdered Christians (primarily Armenians), while the number of Christians themselves was significantly reduced. By 1912, Armenians made up only 21% of the city’s population. They were destroyed during the genocide of 1915-1921.

Transportation
The nearest airport to Mersin is Adana International Airport (69 km). Southeast of the city of Tarsus, 45 km from Mersin, a project is being implemented to build a new airport – Chukurova (tur. Çukurova Bölgesel Havaalanı). The opening of Çukurova Airport will allow establishing a reliable direct flight connection with Mersin, as a result of which it is planned to increase the number of tourists in this region of Turkey.
Between Mersin and neighboring provinces, there is a well-developed rail and road connection. The railway was built in 1866 and served mainly to supply cotton to the port (during the civil war between the southern and northern states in the United States and the blockade of the South, Mersin gained great importance because of the possibility of supplying cotton). High-speed highways connect Mersin with all provinces of Turkey.
Mersin is one of the most important ports in Turkey (port of Mersin – tour. Mersin Limani) – more than 23 piers and docks form a port with an area of ​​786,000 m² with a capacity of more than 3,800 ships. The port of Mersin allows sea communication with more than 100 international ports. These figures make Mersin not only the most important, but also the largest port in the country.

Sights
На западной окраине города находятся развалины хеттской крепости (XIII—XIV век до н. e.)
11 km southwest of Mersin are the ruins of the ancient city of Sola (ancient Greek Σόλοι, lat. Soli), also known as Pompeiopolis (ancient Greek Πομπηϊούπολις, lat. Pompeiopolis), built under the Hittites and destroyed during an earthquake in 528. The remains of the colonnade and theatre, harbour.
Tarsus, one of the largest cities in the province of Mersin, is the birthplace of the Apostle Paul, where a temple was erected in his honor in the Middle Ages.
The province of Mersin is also known for the fact that Mark Antony gave Cleopatra as a wedding gift the land between Mersin and Alanya.
Mertim (short for Mersin Ticaret Merkezi – Mersin Trade Center) is the tallest building in the city of Mersin and one of the tallest in Turkey (177 m). The fifty-two-story building was built in 1987.
The Eski Mosque is one of the important architectural monuments of the Ottoman period (1870) and has been restored in different periods.
Roman baths are decorated with exquisite mosaics.