Cilicia
Ancient region of Asia Minor, now forming part of Turkey, situated between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean. Access from the north across the Taurus range is through the Cilician Gates, a strategic pass that has been used for centuries as part of a trade route linking Europe and the Middle East.
History
Successively conquered by the Persians, Alexander the Great, and the Romans under Pompey, Cilicia became an independent Armenian principality 1080 and a kingdom 1198. Sometimes referred to as Lesser Armenia, it was absorbed into the Ottoman Empire during the 15th century.
