Adana was probably founded in 63 BC by the Roman statesman Pompey the Great. Adana is the only city,whose name stays the same for centuries in the world. For several centuries thereafter it was a way station on a Roman military road leading to the East. The city declined in importance after the fall of the Roman Empire in AD476 but was rebuilt in the 8th century by Harun al-Rashid, caliph of Baghdad. Adana was held by Egypt from 1832 to 1840, when it was restored to Turkish rule. Adana, a modern-day city located on the right bank of the Seyhan River in the Cilician plain, was a caravan stop, river crossing, and frontier outpost protecting Asia Minor from incursions from Syria. (Tarsus was closer to the Cilician Gate.) The history of Adana is mixed with that of Tarsus; they seem to often be the same city, moving as the river changed position and the name changing over time. Adana was of little importance in ancient history; Tarsus, Ayas/Issus (today Yumurtalik), and Kozan (formerly Sis) have usually been the major population and administrative centers, especially during the Kingdom of Lesser Armenia.
More information