Cilician Gates

The Turkish motorway O21 ( European Route 90) at the entrance of the Cilician Gate.

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The Cilician Gates ( Turkish Gülek bogazi ) is the main connection between Cilicia and the Mediterranean and the highlands of Anatolia. The gate is a pass through the Taurus Mountains. The southern end is located 44 km north of Tarsus. The Cilician Gates is now in the province of Mersin on the border with the province of Adana.

In ancient times, the gate was called in Greek Cilicia Pylai ( dt: The gates of Cilicia ). The Crusaders called the gate Porta Judae and the Arabian Darb as- salama. The Turkish name Gülek was derived from the Armenian village Gogulak / Gugulak / Gulag ( Latin: Gogulat / Coqelaquus ) from the entrance of the gate.

The gate was formed by the river Gökoluk and had to overcome as a path only with mounts, but not with vehicles. The fitting has been widened over time partly. As a strategically important gateway on the way from Anatolia to Syria marched through here many armies. So the tens of thousands of Xenophon's Anabasis and Alexander the Great, who moved from here to the battle of Issus came through. Under Caracalla the road was repaired and widened, as a milestone of Podandus occupied. Also Paul of Tarsus and the knights of the First Crusade passed this gate. As in 1833, the Egyptian viceroy Ibrahim Pasha marched against his Ottoman overlord, he also had the gate pass. In order to transport his guns, he had to expand the narrow path, since only by a fit bepacktes camel.

For the Baghdad railway, which was to connect with Konstantin Opel Baghdad, presented the Cilician Gates a large obstacle, the rails could not be placed along the old path through the gate because it was too narrow and winding in many places. That's why a number of viaducts and tunnels were created. These are among the greatest achievements of German engineers as part of this project. The route, which was first operated as a narrow-gauge railway with dolly traffic, was opened in 1918. Just at the time of the First World War, Ottoman troops were brought to the Mesopotamian front through the Cilician Gates.