Photos by Jack A. Waldron
The story of Soli Pompeiopolis (36°44'32.6"N 34°32'22.9"E) really begins during the Neolithic period at the site of Yumuktepe Hoyuk (36°48'04.6"N 34°36'14.9"E) located in the city center of Mersin, and to which I will dedicate a separate post in the future, as it is located approximately 9 kilometers northeast of Soli Pompeiopolis. Yumuktepe as a settlement dates back to around 7000 BCE, and establishes known human occupation in the area to that period.
During the later Luwian and Hittite periods, this boundary area was part of the Kizzuwatna and Tarhuntassa region respectfully, and much later during the Greek and then Roman periods the region was called Cilicia Trachea and Cilicia Pedia.
What gave this coastal location its strategic importance was the pass through the Taurus Mountains at the Cilician Gates just to the north, and the monumental harbor built at Soli Pompeiopolis was key to supporting the shipment of goods throughout the Mediterranean, as well as to and from the Cilician interior. Pictured below, a sketch of ancient Soli Pompeiopolis by F. Beaufort for the British Admiralty in 1812.
Following the Bronze Age Collapse of the populated sites in the area, that saw an end to Hittite control, the area of Soli was re-established during the Archaic period by the Rhodian city of Lindos with the purpose of becoming a center of transport.
Soli would eventually be conquered by the Achaemenid Empire following the rule of Cyrus the Great, and remained a satrapy of the Persians until the arrival of Alexander the Great in 333 BCE. It is reported by Arrian in Chapter V of 'The Anabasis of Alexander' that:
"From Anchialus Alexander went to Soli, into which city he introduced a garrison, and imposed upon the inhabitants a fine of 200 talents of silver, because they were inclined to favor the Persians than himself. Then, having taken three regiments of Macedonian infantry, all the archers, and the Agrianians, he marched away thence against the Cilicians, who were holding the mountains; and in seven days in all, having expelled some by force, and having brought the rest over by composition, he marched back to Soli. Here he ascertained that Ptolemy and Asander had gained the mastery over Orontobates the Persian who was guarding the citadel of Halicarnassus, and who was holding Myndus, Caunus, Thera, and Callipolis. Cos and Triopium also had been brought into subjection. They wrote to inform him that Orontobates had been worsted in a great battle; that about 700 of his infantry and 50 of his cavalry had been killed, and not less than 1,000 taken prisoners. In Soli Alexander offered sacrifice to Asclepius, conducting a procession of the entire army, celebrating a torch race, and superintending a gymnastic and musical contest. He granted the Solians the privilege of a democratical constitution; and then marched away to Tarsus, dispatching the cavalry under Philotas to march through the Aleian plain to the river Pyramus. But he himself with the infantry and the royal squadron of cavalry came to Magarsus, where he offered sacrifice to the Magarsian Athena. Thence he marched to Mallus [Mallos], where he rendered to Amphilochus the sacrificial honours due to a hero. He also arrested those who were creating a sedition among the citizens, and thus put a stop to it. He remitted the tribute which they were paying to King Darius, because the Malliotes were a colony of the Argives, and he himself claimed to have sprung from Argos, being a descendant of Heracles." Arrian. "Chapter V". The Anabasis of Alexander
The massive blocks you see the fisherman sitting on in the photo below are the blocks of the west harbor wall that was built by the Romans during the period between the middle of the 1C CE to the 2C CE.
As I have suggested before with regard to these ancient harbors, and one in particular, the ancient harbor at Elaiussa Sebaste, that these should be restored using ancient materials, and that they should be open to sailing vessels for day anchor, and/or stay on the boat only night anchor. A fee would be paid to the site (for example, 20 Euros for an 8 hour stay, 40 Euros for an over night stay), and allow day access to the site as well. There is a lack of anchorages along the Turkish coast, and they are over crowded, and further, there are numerous ancient harbors along the Turkish coast that could be used in this fashion.
These stone blocks have been slightly undermined over the millennia by the constant beating of the sea on the structure, however, they remain in alignment for the most part.
In the photo above, I am standing where the west harbor wall meets the beach that occupies the inner harbor, that has filled approximately two-thirds of the ancient harbor. Pictured below, an Antoninus Pius coin minted between 143 CE and 145 CE, that features the harbor of Soli Pompeiopolis.
In the photo below, we can see where the beach meets the green shrub line in far distance, which during ancient times would have been filled with water that formed the harbor, reaching to that line. This was the largest man made harbor in the Eastern Mediterranean.
In the photo below, we can see the perfectly aligned ancient blocks in situ, and these particular blocks are crossing the width of the harbor wall. My guess is that these cross sections were put in place to help stabilize the fill, and/or these cross sections were once the ends of the ancient wall which had over time been extended, thus enlarging the ancient harbor.
The large stone fill you see in these photos is part of the original Roman construction used to support and reinforce the harbor sea walls. The stone aggregate was mixed with Roman concrete which together formed an innovative and durable medium called 'opus caementicium', or Roman cement.
This fill has held the large stone blocks in place for almost two-thousand years, and I really so no reason not to restore the ancient walls so they may do their job for another two-thousand years.
In the photo below, we can see the connector slots in the blocks that helped reinforce the structure, and helped keep the blocks aligned, as these slots were filled with molten lead to form clamps. I suspect that the stone blocks below the surface still have their clamps in place.
In the photo below, I am standing near the end of the straight section of the western harbor wall, and as you can see in the distance, the end section of the wall curves inward, which would have formed a protective barrier from the sea waves and swell for the harbor.
Pictured above, I am standing out at the very end on the western harbor wall, where the ancient blocks meet the sea. As you can see in the photos below, the inward curved section at the very tip of the harbor wall has given way to the sea, and lays flush with the sea surface.
As we'll see in photos further down, the opposing harbor wall that once helped form the harbor now lays completely under water, though the footing of the eastern wall is still visible from above.
The sea is a very powerful force that can destroy the sturdiest constructions built by humans, and being a sailboat owner I can attest to this power, as well as the respect it deserves.
My guess is that, the violence of the sea slowly broke down the aggregate fill that once supported these massive stone blocks, which then allowed the sea to dislodge many of the blocks.
Modern restoration techniques would refit these original blocks on top of a new reinforced base. We can see that the base of the wall remains intact, which in these photos is where the sea can be seen to be flush with the top of this base structure.
The width of the wall provides enough protection from the sea for finer weather anchoring, and with outer beach buttressing two-thirds of the harbor walls, the inner harbor would be well protected.
What remains to be excavated is the section of the west harbor wall that lay beneath the sands of the beach. As you can see in the photo below, the wall goes subterranean when it meets the beach. In this photo, where the fishing boats are sitting is part of the ancient harbor, which would ha reached the the green shrubbery in the distance.
The sea side of the west wall appears to have been protected during ancient times by the west beach, which met the harbor wall at a point approximately three-quarts out from the landslide head of the inner harbor. My suspicion is that the harbor walls remain intact beneath these sands.
We know from the Admiralty Chart sketch that a defensive tower sat along the west harbor wall at a distance of approximately two-thirds out from the inner harbor land side head. I cannot be sure, but the blocks pictured below may be part of the ancient tower.
Moving to the eastern side of the ancient harbor, in the photo below we can see in the distance the portion of the western harbor wall that extends out into the sea, including the inward protective curvature of the very end section. Also in the photo below, we see where the eastern harbor wall meets the sea.
These massive stone blocks have held together well for nearly 2000 years, but we can see how the relentless beating of the waves and swell on the aggregate have allowed the blocks to be loosened and eventually dislodged.
With sections of both the western and eastern harbor walls scattered and lying beneath the waves, this puzzle awaits assembly and restoration. Like myself, Ataturk was also interested in antiquities, and himself visited many ancient sites. In the photo below, we see Ataturk taking a tour of the Soli Pompeiopolis site in 1938.
If you look again at the Admiralty Chart sketch, you will see that the land side head of the ancient harbor was met by a colonnaded street that boasted of at least 200 columns in the Corinthian order during the heyday of the city.
This colonnaded street is very similar to the that of ancient Ephesus, though its street met a natural harbor that eventually was filled in with silt, and remains another candidate for restoration, which would allow cruisers to visit the ancient city directly from the sea.
I was very excited to visit the Soli Pompeiopolis site, because I actually missed it during my cycle tour along this coast back in 2014.
Unfortunately, the archeologists working at the site took on a very common arrogant attitude we visitors sometimes experience when exploring ancient cities during the summer months, as I was instructed "not to take any photos", which I will discuss further down.
With some parts original, and some parts newly fabricated (notice the darker old marble verses the newer bright white marble), I think the restoration work here is quite good, and really does not tarnish the aesthetic of the antiquities.
Each column has a square notch located about half way up the stack of drums, and these would have accommodated consoles on which statues were placed.
Some of these consoles have survived and been repositioned into their slots, but only one statue has been recovered thus far, that of the goddess 'Nemesis', which you see situated on one of the consoles in the photos above.
As mentioned previously, the columns are in the Corinthian order, and are exquisitely decorated with acanthus leaves (floral), with some also having figures encompassed into the design.
Pictured below, we see the southern end of the colonnaded street, and it is at this point that the ancient harbor met the covered portico. Currently, there are 14 columns restored and put back into position atop new plinths and stylobates.
I am one who sides with the active use of these antiquities, though I firmly believe that over restoration can have the effect of removing the soul of the antiquity, which is not a good outcome. That said, I would like to see this colonnade restored in its entirety, and used as a walking path to a restored ancient harbor.
All in all, there are said to be only 33 surviving columns of the original 200 that once stood along the street. Though many may have been confiscated and repurposed over the millennia, but as you can see in the photos below, there are scattered remains of these columns throughout the site.
Now that I am residing on my sailboat in Karpaz, a mere 150 kilometers across the sea from ancient Soli Pompeiopolis, I hope to stop by the site once again during my cycle tour of 2026 to see what restoration progress has been made.
As you can see in the photo above, the city of Mersin has built a very nice walking park adjacent to the colonnade. However, the fence that blocks access to the street also blocks access to the ancient city on the other side of the fence.
As an explorer, I normally don't like such restrictions, however, when sites like this are located in the middle of a dense population (and even when not), I have seen how visitors can disrespect and often disfigure such antiquities. One restriction I never allow to be put on myself is the freedom to take photographs from public places, and when it comes to these ancient sites, university authorities sometimes try to impose their will over visitors.
This happened once again as I was photographing the work being done on the Tomb of Aratus from the public access walk at the site (pictured below).
I was instructed "not to take photos of the antiquities", which of course I refused to obey. We tourists travel thousands of miles and spend lots of money to have the honor of experiencing these antiquities, and the last thing an archeologist should want to do is leave these visitors with the feeling that their passion for these historical sites is completely unimportant compared with that of the archeologist, and their exclusivity of publication on the site. As if I could harm or expose their detailed analysis.
So, as you can see, I did take photos, and the publication of this post several years after they were taken has not harmed any exclusivity of excavation news, or identified any of the archeologists working at the site. Only the ego of the archeologist in charge, and their superior elitist attitude seemed to have been hurt by the challenges of a cyclist who has worked very hard to get to the site, and is passionate about why he is there.
The Tomb of Aratus, where the brilliant man who mapped the constellations during the Hellenistic period, is located at about the halfway point of the current length of the colonnade, and just inside the fence that separates the tourists from the archeologists. Pictured below, we can see the archeologists working on the tomb excavations, and it is this work they were so paranoid about me photographing.
Aratus was born in 315 BCE, and passed away in 245 BCE. The signboard from the site (pictured above) offers more detail on his life, and some of his achievements.
So, as the work continues to uncover and restore both the Tomb of Aratus and the colonnade, I headed over to the ancient theater, or what is left of it. Along the way, you will find some interesting antiquities, such as the sarcophagus lid pictured below.
There are actually several mounds to be found in the eastern section of Soli Pompeiopolis, the one in particular is the focus of intensive excavations, as it has revealed occupation of the site dating back at least to the 2nd millennium BCE.
Since excavations were ongoing when I visited the site, I was not able to get any photos since the area was completely closed off to the and hidden from public view.
I was however able to photograph the ancient theater, which you can see at the right in the sketch done by Sir Francis Beaufort for his book 'Karamania, Survey of the Southern Coast of Turkey', published between 1811 and 1812 (Fig. 3 pp. 248-256).
nce again I was challenged not to take any photos. Yes, by that guy pictured in the photo below. I cannot express enough my displeasure with the elitist attitudes of many archeologists.
I think it might have something to do with lack of any authority in any other aspect of their lives, so this realm appears to offer them the opportunity to assert themselves. The slope of the theater cavea and its missing stone seating is apparent in the photo below.
The dwelling you see in the photo below is actually the house where some of the archeologists stay during their dig. Much of the land on which the ancient city is located is still private, though this house being partially situated on the ancient theater was somehow acquired by the city.
The remaining seating of the cavea can be seen in the photo below. Behind the theater is a secret section of excavations that I didn't bother to explore, because I didn't feel like hearing anymore haranguing from the archeologists at the site.
I really had a difficult time visualizing the theater. So much of the structure has been quarried for its stone blocks, that it is quite difficult to tell how far down the slope the cavea extends/extended.
In the photo above, I wonder if we are looking at the analemma, or top of the theater. In the photo below, we see that the modern day sidewalk cuts through the slope on which the theater was built, and this may actually be the diazoma of the ancient theater that separated the lower cavea section from the upper cavea.
With so many missing stone blocks, I can't imagine this ancient theater being restored. But I am curious about the excavations taking place behind the theater, and hopefully these will be open to the public the next time I visit the site.
Homeless antiquities can be found throughout the ancient city, including at the homes of the private residences that still occupy large areas of the site.
Pictured below, a Doric capital has found a place at one of the private houses, and I imagine it makes for a very useful coffee or tea table during the calm summer mornings and evenings. Or, a place to stack the laundry perhaps.
Back at the head of the ancient harbor (pictured below), where some odd marble blocks await their formation and placement in the restoration of the colonnade.
Mersin is extremely hot in summer, and is overrun with summer apartments, which for the ancient city may be a good thing, because a dense population may ensure visitation, as well as sorely needed funds to restore the ancient structures.
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