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The Eastern Mediterranean Coast
Mark Antony gave the lovely Cilician shores, the land between
lanya and the Syrian Border to Cleopatra, as a wedding present.
Also associated with the region's past is St. Paul a native
of Tarsus. Today the region is known for its fertile soil
which produces abundant crops, and for the hospitality of
the region's denizens.
Surrounded by densely cultivated market gardens, Mersin,
the provincial center of Içel, lies midway on the
eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Its shady palm-lined
avenues, city park and modern hotels create a pleasant ambience
from which to visit the nearby historical sites and numerous
beaches. A rapidly developing city and the largest free-zone
port on the Turkish Mediterranean, Mersin has a regular
car ferry service to Gazimagosa (Famagusta) in the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus. In the fish market, sample
the fresh catch in one of the several inexpensive restaurants,
other local delicacies include cezire, a local confection
of carrots roiled around a walnut center, and biberli ekmek,
a small pizza topped with a spicy meatless sauce. Despite
its very modem appearance, Mersin occupies the site of an
extremely ancient city. At the Yumuktepe tumulus, three
kilometres west of town, excavations have unearthed several
successive settlements dating back to the Neolithic Age.
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