Magarsus Ancient City is located in Dört Direkli locality, 4 km west of Karataş district, 49 km away from Adana. It was founded in the 7th century BC. The name of the city is mentioned as Mallos in inscriptions, coins and other official documents from the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods. According to Strabon, the Cilician Mopsos and the Greek Amphilokhos, who came to the region after the Trojan War, founded the city.
Magarsus, the religious center of Mallos, one of the important cities of ancient Cilicia, was known for its temples, especially the Temple of Athena where Alexander the Great prayed.
In Magarsus, which has a grid-plan city design surrounded by walls, the ruins of which have survived from the Ancient Age are; city wall, Medieval Castle, Athena Magarsia Temple, theatre, stadium, cistern, Byzantine and Ottoman baths. The city was an important settlement during the Ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine Periods. Especially the Ancient Theater is among the important ruins of the city worth seeing.
Source: Adana Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism
Places to Visit in Adana
Source: Adana Provincial Culture and Tourism Directorate
