Cilicia

Cilicia is a historic region in the southeastern part of Asia Minor, along the eastern Mediterranean coast of present-day Turkey. It lies between the Taurus Mountains to the north and the Levantine coast to the south, and comprises a fertile coastal plain backed by hills and the foothills of the Taurus. In modern terms, most of the historic Cilicia is within the Turkish provinces of Adana and Mersin, with adjacent areas extending toward Hatay and Osmaniye. The Cilician Gates, a major mountain pass through the Taurus, connect the interior plateau with the Cilician coast.

Historically, Cilicia was divided in classical geography into Cilicia Pedias (Lower Cilicia) along the coast and Cilicia Trachea (Upper Cilicia) inland in the Taurus foothills. The region was ruled sequentially by Hurrian, Hittite, Persian, Greek, and Roman powers, and it developed notable maritime and pirate activity during the late Republic era. Pompey the Great expelled the Cilician pirates in 67 BCE, after which the area became part of the Roman Empire. In the medieval period the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia arose in the twelfth century, centered at Sis (modern Kozan), and allied with Crusader states against Muslim powers; it persisted until around 1375 when it dissolved under pressure from the Mamluks.

After a period of Ottoman expansion, Cilicia became part of the Ottoman Empire and, later, the modern Republic of Turkey.

Cilicia today denotes a historical and cultural region rather than an administrative unit. It is associated with archaeological sites and a long coastline, including towns such as Tarsus, Adana, and Silifke, and remains a subject of historical study for its role in Mediterranean trade, piracy, Crusader-era politics, and Armenian statehood.