Tarsus and the Underground City of Kaymakli
After Morning Prayer and a teaching on the significance of the theology that emerged from Antioch, we drove across lush farmland from Adana to Tarsus, the birthplace of St. Paul. Tarsus was the capital of the Roman Provence of Cilicia, and served as the primary staging place for the Roman Army's campaigns in the East. Several major trade routes converged there, bringing merchants from as far away as Spain in the West, Africa in the South and India in the East. Tarsus was also a center of Hellenistic culture, at one time boasting a library of over 200,000 volumes. It was the place where Mark Anthony and Cleopatra met, and in Greek mythology, Perseus and Hercules both had adventures in Tarsus.
Today it is a lovely, friendly town. There is a 1st century archeological excavation called Paul's House. On the same site is Paul's Well, still providing fresh drinking water.
Paul's Well
Pilgrims tasting water from the well.
The River Cydnus rages through the town, at one point bursting over a splendid waterfall. Little wonder, this is the place where Alexander the Great nearly drowned when trying to cross it on horseback.
Pilgrims at lunch.
After lunch we drove across the spectacular snow covered Taurus Mountains into Cappadocia. Our first stop was the underground City of Kaymakli, built by Christians to hide from their Byzantine and Persian persecutors. At Kaymakli, Cappadocia Christians excavated an underground city that is fourteen stories deep! It had apartments for families to live, wine presses, storage rooms, kitchens, and even a church! We explored down four stories, often on our hands and knees, squeezing through long narrow passageways. Not recommended for the claustrophobic. Our day together ended after evening prayers, with a lively, enriching discussion on two different topics: the accuracy of biblical history, as well as how emotional darkness can lead to a deeper intimacy with God.
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