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CILICIA

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Originally appearing in Volume V06, Page 366 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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CILICIA , in See also:

ancient See also:geography, a See also:district of See also:Asia See also:Minor, extending along the See also:south See also:coast from the Alara Su, which separated it from See also:Pamphylia, to the See also:Giaour Dagh (Mt. Amanus), which parted it from See also:Syria. Its See also:northern limit was the See also:crest of Mt. See also:Taurus. It was naturally divided into Cilicia Trachea, W. of the Lamas Su, and Cilicia Pedias, E. of that See also:river. Cilicia Trachea is a rugged See also:mountain district formed by the spurs of Taurus, which often terminate in rocky headlands with small sheltered harbours,—a feature which, in classical times, made the coast a resort of pirates, and, in the See also:middle ages, led to its occupation by Genoese and Venetian traders. The district is watered by the Geuk Su (Calycadnus and its tributaries), and is covered to a large extent by forests, which still, as of old, See also:supply See also:timber to See also:Egypt and Syria. There were several towns but no large See also:trade centres. In the interior were Coropissus (Da Bazar), Olba (Uzunjaburj), and, in the valley of the Calycadnus, Claudiopolis (Mut) and Germanicopolis (Ermenek). On or near the coast were Coracesium (Alaya). S"Iinus-Trajanopolis (Selinti), Anemourium (Anamur), Kelenderis (Kilindria), See also:Seleucia ad Calycadnum (Selefkeh), Corycus (Korghoz) and Elaeusa-Sebaste (Ayash). Roads connected Laranda, See also:north of theTaurus, with Kelenderis and Seleucia.

Cilicia Pedias included the rugged spurs of Taurus and a large See also:

plain, which consists, in See also:great See also:part, of a See also:rich stoneless See also:loam. Its eastern See also:half is studded with isolated rocky crags, which are CILICIA 365 crowned with the ruins of ancient strongholds, and broken by the See also:low hills that border the plain of Issus. The plain is watered by the Cydnus (See also:Tarsus Chai), the Sarus (Sihun) and the Pyramus (Jihun), each of which brings down much silt. The Sarus now enters the See also:sea almost due south of Tarsus, but there are clear indications that at one See also:period it joined the Pyramus, and that the See also:united See also:rivers ran to the sea See also:west of Kara-tash. Such appears to have been the See also:case when See also:Alexander's See also:army crossed Cilicia. The plain is extremely productive, though now little cultivated. Through it ran the great See also:highway, between the See also:east and the west, on which stood Tarsus on the Cydnus, See also:Adana on the Sarus, and Mopsuestia (Missis) on the Pyramus. North of the road between the two last places were Sision-Flaviopolis (See also:Sis), See also:Anazarbus (Anazarba) and See also:Hierapolis-Kastabala (Budrum); and on the coast were See also:Soli-Pompeiopolis, Mallus (Kara-tash), Aegae (Ayash), Issus, Baiae (Piyas) and See also:Alexandria ad Issum (See also:Alexandretta). The great highway from the west, on its See also:long rough descent from the Anatolian See also:plateau to Tarsus, ran through a narrow pass between walls of See also:rock called the CilicianGate,Ghulek Boghaz. After See also:crossing the low hills east of the Pyramus it passed through a See also:masonry (Cilician) See also:gate, Demir Kapu, and entered the plain of Issus. From that plain one road ran south-See also:ward through a masonry (Syrian) gate to Alexandretta, and thence crossed Mt. Amanus by the Syrian Gate, Beilan Pass, to See also:Antioch and Syria; and another ran northwards through a masonry (Amanian) gate, south of Toprak Kaleh, and crossed Mt.

Amanus by the Amanian Gate, Baghche Pass, to North Syria and the See also:

Euphrates. By the last pass, which was apparently unknown to Alexander, See also:Darius crossed the mountains See also:prior to the See also:battle of Issus. Both passes are See also:short and easy, and connect Cilicia Pedias geographically and politically with Syria rather than with Asia Minor. Another important road connected Sision with Cocysus and Melitene. In See also:Roman times Cilicia exported the goats'-See also:hair See also:cloth, Cilicium, of which tents were made. The Cilicians appear as Khilikku in See also:Assyrian See also:inscriptions, and in the See also:early part of the first See also:millennium B.C. were one of the four See also:chief See also:powers of western Asia. It is generally assumed that they had previously been subject to the Syro-Cappadocian See also:empire; but, up to 1909 at all events, " Hittite " monuments had not been found in Cilicia; and we must infer that the " Hittite " civilizations which flourished in See also:Cappadocia and N. Syria, communicated with each other by passes E. of Amanus and not by the Cilician See also:Gates. Under the See also:Persian empire Cilicia was apparently governed by tributary native See also:kings, who See also:bore a name or See also:title graecized as Syennesis; but it was officially included in the See also:fourth satrapy by Darius. See also:Xenophon found a See also:queen in See also:power, and no opposition was offered to the See also:march of See also:Cyrus. Similarly Alexander found the Gates open, when he came down from the plateau in 333 B.C.; and from these facts it may be inferred that the great pass was not under See also:direct Persian See also:control, but under that of a See also:vassal power always ready to turn against its suzerain. After Alexander's See also:death it was long a battle ground of See also:rival marshals and kings, and for a See also:time See also:fell under Ptolemaic dominion, but finally under that of the Seleucids, who, however, never held effectually more than the eastern half.

Cilicia Trachea became the haunt of pirates, who were subdued by See also:

Pompey. Cilicia Pedias became Roman territory in 103 B.C., and the whole was organized by Pompey, 64 B.c., into a See also:province which, for a short time, extended to and included part of See also:Phrygia. It was reorganized by See also:Caesar, 47 B.C., and about 27 B.C. became part of the province Syria-Cilicia-Phoenice. At first the western district was See also:left See also:independent under native kings or See also:priest-dynasts, and a small See also:kingdom, under Tarkondimotus, was left in the east; but these were finally united to the province by See also:Vespasian, A.D. 74. Under See also:Diocletian (circa 297), Cilicia, with the Syrian and See also:Egyptian provinces, formed the Diocesis Orientis. In the 7th See also:century it was invaded by the See also:Arabs, who held the See also:country until it was reoccupied by Nicephorus II. in 965. The Seljuk invasion of See also:Armenia was followed by an See also:exodus of Armenians southwards, and in ro8o Rhupen, a relative of the last See also:king of See also:Ani, founded in the See also:heart of the Cilician Taurus a small principality, which gradually See also:expanded into the kingdom of Lesser Armenia. This See also:Christian kingdom—situated in the midst of Moslem states, hostile to the Byzantines, giving valuable support to the crusaders, and trading with the great commercial cities of Italy—had a stormy existence of about 300 years. Gosdantin L (1095–1100) assisted the crusaders on their march to Antioch, and was created See also:knight and See also:marquis. _ Thoros I. (11oo-1123), in See also:alliance with the Christian princes of Syria, waged successful See also:war against Byzantines and See also:Seljuks.

Levond (See also:

Leo) II., " the Great " (1185–1219), extended the kingdom beyond See also:Mount Taurus and established the See also:capital at Sis. He assisted the crusaders, was crowned king by the See also:archbishop of See also:Mainz, and married one of the Lusignans of See also:Cyprus. Haithon I. (1224–1269) made an alliance with the See also:Mongols, who, before their See also:adoption of See also:Islam, protected his kingdom from the Mamelukes of Egypt. When Levond V. died (1342), See also:John of See also:Lusignan was crowned king as Gosdantin IV.; but he and his successors alienated the Armenians by attempting to make them conform to the Roman See also:Church, and by giving all posts of See also:honour to Latins, and at last the kingdom, a See also:prey to See also:internal dissensions, succumbed (1375) to the attacks of the Egyptians. Cilicia Trachea was occupied by the Osmanlis in the 15th century, but Cilicia Pedias was only added to the empire in 1515. From 1833 to 184o Cilicia formed part of the territories administered by Mehemet See also:Ali of See also:Cairo, who was compelled to evacuate it by the allied powers. Since that date it has formed the vilayet of Adana (q.v.).

End of Article: CILICIA

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