Flaviopolis was the ancient city founded by Emperor Vespasian in AD 73 (Sayar 2010) Vespasian was a member of the Flavian family which gave the name to the polis. The foundation took place a year after the Seleucids were finally stripped of their lands by Vespasian and Cilicia became fully Roman. Flaviopolis was the last city built in the region by the Romans (Sayar 2010). It is yet to be definitely confirmed that Kadirli is Flaviopolis, but the objects unearthed in situ, i.e. a Roman bath and villa with mosaics are strong leads in favour of such hypothesis. Today, where the city once stood, we can see a basilica from the 5th century, which was converted into a mosque, called Ala, in the Middle Ages.
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| Looking from west * |
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| Landform (Google Earth) * |
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Good to know *
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| Looking from southwest * |
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| Shoes off, it's mosque too! * |
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| Armenian room * |
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| Byzantine apse; 5th c. AD (Hill, 1996) * |
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| Looking from northeast * |
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Subterranean room built by Armenians
(Hill, 1996); northwestern corner * |
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Apse from outside *
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| South wall, looking from east * |
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| Mosaics by south wall, looking from west * |
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| Capital in Corinthian order * |
It was one of the few times my wife was with me. We were on our way back from Karatepe (Hittite fortress). Reaching our destination wasn't easy as Google's navigation led us astray. When we finally arrived at the venue (A) an awkward structure presented itself before our eyes: a Byzantine basilica and an Ottoman mosque in one body. Once we got inside it was even more mind-boggling as we observed that a room of Armenian origin was added to the apse creating a chapel. The site is very interesting, nonetheless, with accurately preserved mosaics both inside and outside of the structure.
