Exploring Misterious Cities of Ancient Anatolia

To the north of Elaiussa Sebaste we drive to the misterious ancient city Kanytelleis of Olba, 3rd century BC, on the way to the well known ancient Roman city Corycus. Kanytelleis is a wonderful and misterious site to the mountain side. The site includes rock tombs and a wonderful Hellenistic period tower, besides many more remains in the area.

Olba was a city of Cetis in Cilicia Aspera, later forming part of Isauria; it had a temple of Zeus, whose priests were once kings of the country, and became a Roman colony. Strabo (XIV, 5, 10) and Ptolemy (V, 8, 6) call it Olbasa. A coin of Diocæsarea, Olbos; Hierocles (Synecdemus, 709), Olbe; Basil of Seleucia (Mirac. S.Theclæ, 2, 8) and the Greek Notitiæ episcopatuum, Olba. The primitive name must have been Ourba or Orba, found in Theophanes the Chronographer, hence Ourbanopolis in "Acta S. Bartholomei". Le Quien (Oriens christianus, II, 1031) gives four bishops between the fourth and seventh centuries; but the Notitiæ episcopatuum mentions the see until the thirteenth century. Its ruins, north of Silifke in the Turkish province of Mersin.