Arsuz

Arsuz (Arabic: أرسوز ‎, also known as Uluçınar and formerly as Rhosus) is a coastal town in Hatay Province, Turkey.

Geography

Arsuz 36°25′N 35°53′E / 36.417°N 35.883°E / 36.417; 35.883 is a part of İskenderun district of Hatay Province. The town center is located 40 kilometres (25 mi) South of İskenderun and 118 kilometres (73 mi) from Antakya (administrative center of Hatay Province). The population was 2257 as of 2012. While Arsuz is technically just a small town near the end of a coastal road leading south from İskenderun, the entire coastal region between İskenderun and Arsuz is often simply referred to as Arsuz. This area is predominantly small rural farms (usually located inland towards the mountains) and small groups of summer homes (usually located near the coastline).

History

Arsuz had many names throughout history, including: Rhosus, Rhossus, Rhopolis, Port Panel, Kabev and Arsous. The earliest documents about it date from the Seleucid Empire, of whose Antioch became the capital. Arsuz was then an important seaport on the Gulf of Issus. In 64 BC it was annexed by the Roman Empire. Under the name Rhosus, it was a ciry in the late Roman province of Cilicia Secunda, with Anazarba as its capital. It is mentioned by Strabo,Ptolemy,Pliny the Elder and Stephanus Byzantius; and later by Hierocles and George of Cyprus,