Where is Ancient City of Soli Pompeiopolis & How To Get There?

The history of the Soli Pompeiopolis Ancient City in Mersin dates back to the Middle Bronze Age. In written sources,. It is mentioned as an ancient port city founded by the Rhodesians in the 8th century. BC.

History of Soli Pompeiopolis Ancient City

According to historical sources, Soli is a port city founded by the Rhodesians. Then, like other Anatolian cities, it came under Persian domination, and when Alexander the Great defeated the Persians in 333 BC, this time Hellenic domination began. It is a relatively autonomous city with the power to issue its own money even when it was under Persian Dominion.

After the death of Alexander, the city experienced its heyday during the reign of Seleukos, one of its commanders. With the decline of the power of the Hellenes in time, the city was exposed to pirate attacks and In 67 B.C, Roman General Pompeius eliminated the pirates and revived the city with various arrangements.

Roman Emperor Hadrianus visited the city in 130 and gave financial support to the construction of the port. In the Byzantine period, the Ancient City of Soli became a prominent episcopacy center with its religious aspect. The city was abandoned due to the great Cilicia earthquake in 525 and the pirate raids that followed. The fact that the ancient port became unusable due to the invasion of alluvium and sand carried by the Lyparis Stream is also a factor in the abandonment of the city. European travelers who came to Mersin in the 19th century mentioned the existence of a theatre, necropolis and bath here in their writings.

Soli Pompeiopolis Ancient City Excavations

In Soli, the rescue excavations, which were first initiated by the Mersin Museum Directorate in the 1980s, were concentrated around the colonnaded street. Ceramics, coins and statue heads found in this excavation are exhibited in Mersin Archeology Museum.

The main extensive excavations were carried out in 1999. It was started under the chairmanship of As. Dr. Remzi Yağcı and still continues today especially on the mound and harbor street.

Necropolis, Theatre, aqueduct, harbor and columned street can be shown among some of the buildings in the city. However, many of them have not reached the present day. The building in the best condition today is the port street, also known as the colonnaded road.

Colonnaded Street: This Street, 450 meters long and 14.5 meters wide, extended to the port and was located in the very center of the city. 47 of the columns on the street, which are thought to have consisted of 200 columns, have been unearthed today. During the excavations, approximately 70 column capitals, 33 of which were on the columns, were unearthed. Column capitals contain figures reserved for gods and goddesses.

Port: The port, which includes two symmetrical breakwaters, shows the commercial importance of the city.

The Story of the Ancient City of Soli Pompeiopolis

The name of the city Soli means sun in Latin. Again in Greek, this city was called Soloi. Among the inhabitants of the Ancient City of Soli are the comedy writer Philemon, the famous philosopher Khrysippos; and Aratos, one of the most famous astronomers and poets of the Hellenistic period, whose work "Phainomena" was translated into Latin and taught in schools in ancient times.

After the Roman General Pompeio cleaned this place from pirates and revived it, Pompeiopolis was added to the name of the city, meaning "The City of Pompeio".

Where is Soli Pompeiopolis Ancient City? Directions Information. How to get to City?

Soli Pompeipolis Ancient City is located in the Viranşehir neighborhood in the central district of Mezitli in Mersin. It is 12 km from Mersin center and 2 km from Mezitli.

To go from Mersin to the Ancient City of Soli, you can go to Mezitli in the west direction by private vehicle and reach the ancient city by directing the signs from here.

In order to reach the Ancient City of Soli by public transportation, you need to go to Viranşehir after reaching the town center by Mezitli buses.

Entry to Soli Pompeipolis Ancient City is free.