:Mersin

The city was named after the aromatic plant genus Myrsine ({{langx|tr|Mersin}}, {{langx|el|Μυρσίνη}}) in the family Primulaceae, a myrtle that grows in abundance in the area. The 17th-century Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi also recorded in his Seyahatnâme that there was a clan named the Mersinoğulları (Sons of Mersin) living in the area.İçel: Mersin- Tarsus- Çamlıyayla- Erdemli- Silifke- Aydıncık- Bozyazı- Anamur- Gülnar- Mut (Kültür, Turizm ve Tanıtım yayınları, 1992), p. 7. In the 19th century Mersin was also referred to as Mersina.

This coast has been inhabited since the 9th millennium BC. Excavations by John Garstang of the hill of Yumuktepe{{Cite web |title=YUMUKTEPE HÖYÜĞÜ Toroslar Belediyesi |url=https://toroslar-bld.gov.tr/mekan/128 |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=Toroslar Belediyesi}} have revealed 23 levels of occupation, the earliest dating from ca. 6300 BC. Fortifications were put up around 4500 BC, but the site appears to have been abandoned between 350 BC and 300 BC.

Over the centuries, the city was ruled by many states and civilisations including the Hittites, Assyrians, Urartians, Persians, Greeks, Armenians, Seleucids and Lagids. During the Ancient Greek period, the city bore the name Zephyrion (Greek: Ζεφύριονhttp://www.jannis.tu-berlin.de/City_&_Ruler_Names.html {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20070614093439/http://www.jannis.tu-berlin.de/City_&_Ruler_Names.html |date=2007-06-14 }} retrieved June 14, 2007) and was mentioned by numerous ancient authors. Apart from its natural harbour and strategic position along the trade routes of southern Anatolia, the city profited from trade in molybdenum (white lead) from the neighbouring mines of Coreyra. Ancient sources attributed the best molybdenum to the city, which also minted its own coins.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

File:Mersin_Archaeological_Museum,_2.jpg|left]]

The area later became a part of the Roman province of Cilicia, which had its capital at Tarsus, while nearby Mersin was the major port.{{Citation needed|date=April 2020|reason=Corycus and Ayas were the two ports of Cilicia. Zephyrion was a fishing village.}} The city, whose name was Latinised to Zephyrium, was renamed as Hadrianopolis in honour of the Roman emperor Hadrian.{{cn|date=January 2024}} After the death of the emperor Theodosius I in 395 and the subsequent permanent division of the Roman Empire, Mersin fell into what became the Byzantine Empire.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

The city was an episcopal see under the Patriarchate of Antioch. Le Quien names four bishops of Zephyrium:{{Oriens Christianus|volume=2|article=Ecclesia Zephyrii|at=cols. 883–884}} Aerius, present at the First Council of Constantinople in 381; Zenobius, a Nestorian, the writer of a letter protesting the removal of Bishop Meletius of Mopsuestia by Patriarch John of Antioch (429–441); Hypatius, present at the Council of Chalcedon in 451; and Peter, present at the Council in Trullo in 692. The bishopric is included in the Catholic Church's list of titular sees, but since the Second Vatican Council no new titular bishop of this Eastern see has been appointed.Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013, {{ISBN|978-88-209-9070-1}}), p. 1012

Cilicia was conquered by the Arabs in the early 7th century, by which time it appears Mersin was a deserted site. The Arabs were followed by the Egyptian Tulunids, then by the Byzantines between 965 and c.1080 and then by the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. Under Armenian Cilicia, the region of Mersin served as the powerbase for the House of Lampron. From 1362 to 1513 the region was captured and governed by the Ramadanid Emirate, first as a protectorate of the Mamluk Sultanate, then as an independent state for roughly a century and then as a protectorate of the Ottoman Empire from 1513 until 1518 when it was annexed into the Ottoman Empire and turned into an imperial province.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

{{Main|Vilayet of Adana}}

File:Mersin_Archaeological_Museum,_1.jpg]]

{{Expand section|the city's history between 16th and 19th century|date=November 2020}}During the American Civil War, the region became a major supplier of cotton to make up for the high demand due to shortage. Railroads were extended to Mersin in 1866 from where cotton was exported by sea, and the city developed into a major trade centre.{{Cite web |title=Mersin (İçel) |url=http://www.cometoturkey.com/mersin.html |access-date=2024-01-22 |website=www.cometoturkey.com}} In 1909, Mersin's port hosted 645 steamships and 797,433 tons of goods. Before World War I, Mersin exported mainly sesame seeds, cotton, cottonseed, cakes and cereals, and livestock. Cotton was exported to Europe, grain to Turkey and livestock to Egypt. Coal was the main import into Mersin at this time. Messageries Maritimes was the largest shipping line to use the port at Mersin.{{cite book|last=Prothero|first=G.W.|title=Anatolia|year=1920|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|location=London|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11766/view/1/82/}}

In 1918, the Ottoman Empire collapsed and Mersin was occupied by French and British troops in accordance with the Treaty of Sèvres. It was recovered by the Turkish Army in 1921 at the end of the Franco-Turkish War. In 1924, Mersin was made a province, and in 1933 Mersin and İçel provinces were merged to form the (greater Mersin) İçel Province. The capital of the province was Mersin. In 2002 the name of the province was changed to Mersin Province.{{cite web |url=http://www.mersin.gov.tr/tarih#:~:text=1924%20y%C4%B1l%C4%B1nda%20Mersin%20Ad%C4%B1yla%20Vilayet,in%20ismi%20yeniden%20Mersin%20olmu%C5%9Ftur. |title = Tarih}}

As of 1920, Mersin had five piers at its port, with one privately owned by a railroad company serving Mersin, Tarsus, and Adana.{{cite book|last=Prothero|first=G.W.|title=Anatolia|year=1920|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|location=London|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11766/view/1/81/}}

File:MERSİN-20.png

Today, Mersin is a large city spreading out along the coast. It has the longest seashore in Turkey as well as in the Eastern Mediterranean.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

The Metropolitan Municipality has rescued long stretches of the seafront with walkways, parks and statues, and there are still palm trees on the roadsides.

Since the start of the Syrian War in 2011 Mersin has acquired a large population of Syrian refugees.

On 6 February 2023 Mersin was shaken by the twin Turkish-Syrian earthquakes. Citizens made homeless in cities further to the east also flocked to Mersin in search of shelter.

There are six museums within the Mersin urban area; Mersin Archaeological Museum,{{Cite web |title=Mersin Museum {{!}} Turkish Museums |url=https://turkishmuseums.com/museum/detail/2152-mersin-museum/2152/4 |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=Turkish Museum |language=en}} Mersin Atatürk Museum, Mersin Naval Museum, Mersin State Art and Sculpture Museum, Mersin Urban History Museum, Mersin Water Museum.

In the western suburb of Viranşehir (Ruined City) the remains of the ancient city of Soli/Pompeiiopolis stand close to the sea. Only two colonnades dating from the 2nd or 3rd century are obvious although the outline of the agora and of a mole from the harbour can just about be made out.{{Cite book |last=Freely |first=John |title=The Eastern Mediterranean Coast of Turkey |publisher=SEV Matbaacılık ve Yayıncılık |year=1998 |isbn=978-975-8176-22-9 |edition=1st |location=Istanbul |pages=215–20 |language=English}}

The Chasms of Heaven and Hell are located in the rural region of Silifke, a district in Mersin.{{Cite web |title=SİLİFKE CHASM OF HEAVEN AND HELL |url=https://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=CCO01&DistId=CCO |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı |language=tr}} The chasms are two sinkholes that were naturally formed from underground waters melting the layer of limestone above. The heaven sinkhole has a small monastery located in the corner of the entrance. The deepest point of the sinkhole is 135 meters deep. The hell sinkhole is 128 meters deep. In mythology, there is a story of Zeus temporarily trapping Typhon in the sinkhole.

The city has a total of three modern shopping malls, from which the Forum Mersin is the largest one. Mersin Marina can also be considered a shopping center with over 40 shops, apart from its main function as a marina. In the old city center you will find further shopping opportunities and bazaar-like shopping areas.

{{Annotated image|image=Koppen-Geiger_Map_TUR_present_with_provinces.svg|image-width=2500 |image-left=-705 |image-top=-760 |width=300|height=150 |float=right|annotations=|caption=Köppen map of Mersin Province and surrounding regions:"Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution". Nature Scientific Data. DOI:[https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata2018214 10.1038/sdata.2018.214].

{{legend-col

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|{{legend|#FFFF00|Csa}}

|{{legend|#C6C700|Csb}}

|{{legend|#FF00FE|Dsa}}

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}}}}Unlike the mountainous rugged terrain of the whole province Mersin is located at the western edge of the Çukurova plain. Earthquake risk of the city is relatively low especially compared to other regions of Turkey, but due to its closeness to several other fault lines in Anatolia, the city center, which was built on an alluvial deposit is considered to be a risk region.{{Cite web |date=2023-02-23 |title=Mersin deprem bölgesi mi? Mersin'de deprem risk var mı? Mersin'de fay hattı var mı? |url=https://www.haberler.com/haberler/mersin-deprem-bolgesi-mi-mersin-de-deprem-risk-15653628-haberi/ |access-date=2023-03-01 |website=Haberler |language=tr}}{{Cite web |title=TÜRKİYE DEPREM RİSK HARİTASI GÜNCEL {{!}} Türkiye'de aktif kaç fay hattı var, hangi illerden fay hattı geçiyor? Marmara, İç Anadolu, Karadeniz, Ege en az ve en... |url=https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/bilgi/galeri-afad-turkiye-deprem-haritasi-fay-hatti-gecen-bolgeler-ve-birinci-ikinci-ve-ucuncu-riskli-iller-42216380/2 |access-date=2023-03-01 |website=www.hurriyet.com.tr |language=tr}}

Mersin has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa, Trewartha climate classification: Cs), a type of subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and mild, wet winters. Mersin has its highest rainfall in winter. The driest months are in summer with hardly any rainfall at all. The highest temperature of Mersin was recorded on 3 September 2020 at 41.5 °C (106.7 °F), and the lowest was recorded on 6 February 1950 at {{Convert|-6.6|C|F|abbr=on}}.

{{Weather box

| metric first = Yes

| single line = Yes

| location = Mersin (1991–2020, extremes 1940–2025)

| Jan record high C = 25.2

| Feb record high C = 26.5

| Mar record high C = 30.8

| Apr record high C = 34.7

| May record high C = 36.0

| Jun record high C = 40.0

| Jul record high C = 38.1

| Aug record high C = 39.8

| Sep record high C = 41.5

| Oct record high C = 37.5

| Nov record high C = 31.0

| Dec record high C = 27.0

| year record high C = 41.5

| Jan high C = 15.2

| Feb high C = 16.2

| Mar high C = 19.0

| Apr high C = 22.2

| May high C = 25.8

| Jun high C = 29.1

| Jul high C = 31.9

| Aug high C = 32.8

| Sep high C = 31.1

| Oct high C = 27.9

| Nov high C = 22.1

| Dec high C = 16.9

| year high C = 24.2

| Jan mean C = 11.0

| Feb mean C = 12.0

| Mar mean C = 14.9

| Apr mean C = 18.2

| May mean C = 22.1

| Jun mean C = 25.8

| Jul mean C = 28.7

| Aug mean C = 29.3

| Sep mean C = 27.0

| Oct mean C = 23.0

| Nov mean C = 17.2

| Dec mean C = 12.6

| year mean C = 20.1

| Jan low C = 7.6

| Feb low C = 8.2

| Mar low C = 10.9

| Apr low C = 14.4

| May low C = 18.6

| Jun low C = 22.6

| Jul low C = 25.8

| Aug low C = 26.3

| Sep low C = 23.2

| Oct low C = 18.6

| Nov low C = 13.0

| Dec low C = 9.1

| year low C = 16.5

| Jan record low C = -6.3

| Feb record low C = -6.6

| Mar record low C = -2.2

| Apr record low C = 0.6

| May record low C = 7.0

| Jun record low C = 12.0

| Jul record low C = 16.1

| Aug record low C = 15.0

| Sep record low C = 11.0

| Oct record low C = 2.7

| Nov record low C = -3.3

| Dec record low C = -3.0

| year record low C = -6.6

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 115.9

| Feb precipitation mm = 79.0

| Mar precipitation mm = 56.1

| Apr precipitation mm = 34.6

| May precipitation mm = 26.7

| Jun precipitation mm = 12.0

| Jul precipitation mm = 9.3

| Aug precipitation mm = 7.3

| Sep precipitation mm = 13.4

| Oct precipitation mm = 35.7

| Nov precipitation mm = 80.2

| Dec precipitation mm = 162.7

| year precipitation mm = 632.9

| Jan humidity = 62.5

| Feb humidity = 62.5

| Mar humidity = 63.6

| Apr humidity = 66.7

| May humidity = 69.3

| Jun humidity = 71.2

| Jul humidity = 72.1

| Aug humidity = 69.7

| Sep humidity = 63.2

| Oct humidity = 57.6

| Nov humidity = 56.7

| Dec humidity = 61.9

| year humidity =

| Jan rain days = 10.07

| Feb rain days = 9.07

| Mar rain days = 7.37

| Apr rain days = 7.27

| May rain days = 6.07

| Jun rain days = 2.70

| Jul rain days = 1.00

| Aug rain days = 1.03

| Sep rain days = 2.13

| Oct rain days = 5.27

| Nov rain days = 6.37

| Dec rain days = 10.83

| year rain days = 69.2

| Jan snow days =0

| Feb snow days =0.19

| Mar snow days =0

| Apr snow days =0

| May snow days =0

| Jun snow days =0

| Jul snow days =0

| Aug snow days =0

| Sep snow days =0

| Oct snow days =0

| Nov snow days =0

| Dec snow days =0.06

| year snow days =

| Jan sun = 148.8

| Feb sun = 158.2

| Mar sun = 210.8

| Apr sun = 231.0

| May sun = 263.5

| Jun sun = 294.0

| Jul sun = 313.1

| Aug sun = 303.8

| Sep sun = 273.0

| Oct sun = 235.6

| Nov sun = 177.0

| Dec sun = 142.6

| Jand sun = 4.8

| Febd sun = 5.6

| Mard sun = 6.8

| Aprd sun = 7.7

| Mayd sun = 8.5

| Jund sun = 9.8

| Juld sun = 10.1

| Augd sun = 9.8

| Sepd sun = 9.1

| Octd sun = 7.6

| Novd sun = 5.9

| Decd sun = 4.6

| yeard sun = 7.5

| source 1 = Turkish State Meteorological Service{{cite web

| url = https://www.mgm.gov.tr/veridegerlendirme/il-ve-ilceler-istatistik.aspx?k=H&m=MERSIN

| title = Resmi İstatistikler: İllerimize Ait Mevism Normalleri (1991–2020)

| publisher = Turkish State Meteorological Service

| language = tr

| access-date = 6 July 2021}}

| date = March 2021

|source 2 = NOAA (humidity, 1991-2020),{{cite web

| url = https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Turkiye/CSV/Mersin_17340.csv

| title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020: Mersin

| publisher = National Centers for Environmental Information

| access-date = 2 August 2023}} Meteomanz(snow days 2008-2023){{cite web | url = http://www.meteomanz.com/sy3?l=1&cou=6290&ind=17340&m1=01&y1=2000&m2=07&y2=2024

| title = Mersin - Weather data by months |website = Meteomanz| access-date = 16 July 2024}}

}}

The population of the city was 1,040,507 according to 2022 estimates. This figure refers to the urban part of the four districts Akdeniz, Mezitli, Toroslar and Yenişehir, that had a total population of 1,077,054 at the end of 2022.{{Cite web |title=Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports|url=https://biruni.tuik.gov.tr/medas/?kn=95&locale=en |access-date=19 September 2023|publisher=TÜİK|language=en|format=XLS}} As of a 2021 estimation, the population of the Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area was 3,300,000 inhabitants, making it the 4th most populous area of Turkey.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

The Mersin Interfaith Cemetery, in the Yusuf Kılıç district, serves as a cemetery for all religions with graves of Muslims, Christians and Jews.{{cite web|title=Mersin Mezarlığı'nda Hristiyan ve Müslümanlar birlikte dua etti-Mersin Haberleri|url=http://www.zaman.com.tr/gundem_mersin-mezarliginda-hristiyan-ve-muslumanlar-birlikte-dua-etti_2152769.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220907/http://www.zaman.com.tr/gundem_mersin-mezarliginda-hristiyan-ve-muslumanlar-birlikte-dua-etti_2152769.html|archive-date=2016-03-03|access-date=2014-07-25}}{{cite web|last=GÜNGÖR|first=İZGİ|date=10 March 2008|title=Not only bodies, but prejudices buried in Mersin Cemetery|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/default.aspx?pageid=438&n=not-only-bodies-but-prejudices-buried-in-mersin-cemetery-2008-03-10|access-date=13 January 2014|work=Hurriyet Daily News}}

File:Sent Antuan Latin Katolik Kilisesi ön cepheden.JPG|Cathedral of St. Anthony of Padua

File:Muğdat Camii.JPG|Muğdat Mosque in Yenişehir was built in the 1980s

File:MersinCemevi.jpg|Mersin Cemevi, an Alevi place of worship

File:Mersin_gar_giriş.jpgThe Port of Mersin is the mainstay of city's economy. It is an international hub for many vessels routing to European countries, with a capacity of 6,000 ships per year.

Next to the port is the Mersin Free Zone, established in 1986 as the first free zone in Turkey, the zone is a publicly owned centre for foreign investors, close to major markets in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, Russia and Central Asia. In 2002 the free zone's trading volume was US$51.8 billion.{{Cite web |title=Mersin Free Zone |url=http://www.mtso.org.tr/en/news/mersin-free-zone |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=www.mtso.org.tr |language=en}}

Historically, Mersin was a major producer of cottonseed oil.{{cite book|last=Prothero|first=G.W.|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11766/view/1/113/|title=Anatolia|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|year=1920|location=London|page=113}} The area around Mersin is famous for citrus and cotton production. Bananas, olives and assorted other fruits are also produced.

Mersin has highway connections to the north, east and west. It is also connected to the southern railroad. Mersin railway station in the district of Akdeniz has been in use since 1886. Opened on 28 February 2015, Mersin Bus Terminus is the terminus for intercity bus services, replacing the bus station that had been in the city centre since 1986. A metro system with 11 stations and a length of {{convert|13.4|km|mi}} is scheduled to open at the end of 2026.{{Cite web |title=Ulaştırma ve Altyapı Bakanlığının İstanbul'daki 7 metro hattı 2023'te tamamlanmış olacak |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/ekonomi/ulastirma-ve-altyapi-bakanliginin-istanbuldaki-7-metro-hatti-2023te-tamamlanmis-olacak/2266032 |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=www.aa.com.tr}}

Since August 2024, the city is served by Çukurova International Airport.

Work is underway{{when?|date=August 2024}} to complete the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, Turkey's first nuclear power plant, some 80 miles west of Mersin.{{Cite web |title=Akkuyu NPP Construction Project AKKUYU NÜKLEER A.Ş. |url=http://www.akkunpp.com/ |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=www.akkunpp.com}} Environmental groups, such as Greenpeace, have opposed the construction.[http://en.firatnews.com/index.php?rupel=article&nuceID=2089 Demonstration against nuclear power in Mersin] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110815163926/http://en.firatnews.com/index.php?rupel=article&nuceID=2089|date=2011-08-15}} Firat News agency

File:Mersin Halkevi.jpg]]Mersin is home to a State Opera and Ballet, the fourth in Turkey after Istanbul, İzmir and Ankara. Mersin International Music Festival was established in 2001 and takes place every October.

The photography associations Mersin Fotoğraf Derneği (MFD) and Mersin Olba Fotoğraf Derneği (MOF) are amongst the city's most popular and active cultural organisations. Some cultural activities are sponsored by the İçel Sanat Kulübü (Art Club of Mersin) and Mediterranean Opera and Ballet Club.

The Mersin Citrus Festival is a festival organized to promote the citrus produced in Mersin.{{Cite web |date=2022-10-27 |title=8. Mersin Narenciye Festivali 12-13 Kasım'da |url=https://www.mersinnarenciyefestivali.com/ |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=8. Mersin Narenciye Festivali 12-13 Kasım'da |language=tr}} The festival typically includes folk dancers from different traditions and sculptures constructed from different types of citrus.{{Cite web |date=2019-05-16 |title=FESTİVALİN AMACI |url=https://www.mersinnarenciyefestivali.com/festivalin-amaci/ |access-date=2022-12-12 |website=8. Mersin Narenciye Festivali 12-13 Kasım'da |language=tr}} The first festival was held in 2010. The festival is held annually on a weekend in November.

Mersin is best known in Turkey for its tantuni, and restaurants serving it can be found all over the country. The provincial cuisine includes specialties such as:

• Ciğer kebap, (liver on mangal), typically served on lavaş with an assortment of meze at 12 skewers at a time,
• Tantuni, a hot lavaş wrap consisting of julienned lamb stir-fried on a sac on a hint of cottonseed oil,
• Bumbar or mumbar, lamb intestines filled with a mixture of rice, meat and pistachios, that are served either grilled or steamed, famous throughout the Levant ,
• Cezerye, a lokum-like delight made of caramelized carrot paste, covered in (sometimes sliced) pistachios and often also sprinkled with ground coconut,
• Karsambaç, a variety of shaved ice served with pekmez or honey as toppings,
• Künefe, a wood-oven baked dessert based on a mixture of cheese and pastry; known all throughout the Levant,
• Kerebiç, a shortbread filled with pistachio paste, also famous throughout the Levant,
• Şalgam suyu, a beverage made of fermented red carrots, very popular in Southern Turkey.

;Local TV channels

• [http://kanal33.com.tr/ Kanal 33]
• İçel TV
• Sun RTV
• Güney TV

;Local radio channels

• Radyo Metropol (101.8)
• Tarsus Süper FM (91.1)
• Tempo 94 FM (94.3)
• Örgün FM (94.7)
• Tarsus Star FM (95.5)
• Tarsus Radyo Time (97.7)
• Flaş FM (98.3)
• Mix FM (91.6) (sadece yabancı müzik, 1993-günümüz)
• Kent Radyo (98.5)

{{Main|Sports venues in Mersin}}

The city was formerly home to Mersin İdman Yurdu, a football club that played in the Süper Lig as recently as the 2015–16 season. The men's basketball team of the Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi S.K. plays in the Turkish Basketball League while its women's basketball team plays in the Turkish Women's Basketball League.

The city has one football stadium, Mersin Arena, with a seating capacity of 25,534. There was another stadium, Tevfik Sırrı Gür Stadium, which had a capacity of 10,128 and is now demolished and turned into a park. The men's and women's basketball teams of the Mersin Büyükşehir Belediyesi S.K. play their home matches at the Edip Buran Sport Hall, which has a seating capacity of 2,700.

Eleven new sports venues were built for Mersin to host the 2013 Mediterranean Games. The Servet Tazegül Arena, the fourth biggest indoor arena of Turkey with its 7,500 seating capacity, hosted the men's basketball events and the volleyball finals of the Games.{{cite web |url=http://www.mersin2013.gov.tr/detay/7481/Mersin-Tesisleri-ile-Fark-Yaratacak- |publisher=Mersin 2013 XVII Akdeniz Oyunları |title=Mersin, Tesisleri ile Fark Yaratacak... |language=tr |access-date=2013-05-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507065909/http://www.mersin2013.gov.tr/detay/7481/Mersin-Tesisleri-ile-Fark-Yaratacak- |archive-date=2013-05-07 }} The athletics and paralympic athletics events were held at the Nevin Yanıt Athletics Complex.{{cite web |url=http://www.mersin2013.gov.tr/detay/6892/Nevin-Yanit-Atletizm-Kompleksi |publisher=2013 Mersin XVII Akdeniz Oyunlatı |title=Nevin Yanıt Atletizm Kompleksi |language=tr |access-date=2013-05-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512102735/http://www.mersin2013.gov.tr/detay/6892/Nevin-Yanit-Atletizm-Kompleksi |archive-date=2013-05-12 }}

File:Mersin Gymnastics Hall, Turkey.JPG|Mersin Gymnastics Hall

File:Mersin Olympic Swimming Pool, Turkey.jpg|Mersin Olympic Swimming Pool

File:Mersin_Olympic_Stadium.JPG|Mersin Arena

File:Sportshall in Mersin, Turkey.JPG|Sporthall in Mersin

File:Yurtkur_Taşucu_Kız_Öğrenci_Yurdu.JPG

Mersin University was founded in 1992 and started teaching in 1993–1994, with eleven faculties, six schools and nine vocational schools. The university has had about 10,000 graduates, has broadened its current academic staff to more than 2,100 academicians.

Toros University is a non-profit private foundation established in Mersin in 2009.

Çağ University

Tarsus University

Mersin is twinned with:{{cite web|title=Kardeş Şehirlerimiz|url=https://www.mersin.bel.tr/kardes-sehirlerimiz|website=mersin.bel.tr|publisher=Mersin|language=tr|access-date=2020-01-19|archive-date=2020-02-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229063711/http://www.mersin.bel.tr/kardes-sehirlerimiz|url-status=dead}}

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• {{flagicon|RSA}} Durban, South Africa
• {{flagicon|TRNC}} Gazi Mağusa, Northern Cyprus Gazi Mağusa, also known as Famagusta is de jure a part of Republic of Cyprus, but the city is de facto administrated by the self declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The twinning is between Northern Cypriot and Turkish administration.
• {{flagicon|UKR}} Kherson, Ukraine
• {{flagicon|LTU}} Klaipėda, Lithuania
• {{flagicon|JPN}} Kushimoto, Japan, where there is a Turkish Memorial and Museum in commemoration of the 1890-sunken Ottoman frigate Ertuğrul. A street in Mersin is named after the Japanese town.
• {{flagicon|RUS}} Nizhnekamsk, Russia
• {{flagicon|GER}} Oberhausen, Germany
• {{flagicon|MNG}} Ölgii, Mongolia
• {{flagicon|RUS}} Ufa, Russia
• {{flagicon|CHL}} Valparaíso, Chile
• {{flagicon|USA}} West Palm Beach, United States

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• Nevin Yanıt – athlete
• Mustafa Üstündağ – actor
• Erman Toroğlu – footballer
• Haldun Dormen – theatre & film actor and director
• Musa Eroğlu – Turkish folk music artist, folk poetry, composer, musician
• Bergen – Turkish Arabesque singer
• Mehmet Emin Karamehmet - businessman and founder of Çukurova Holding
• Ahmet Mete Işıkara – scientist
• Müfide İlhan – first woman mayor in Turkey in the 1950s
• Gencay Kasapçı – painter
• Özgecan Aslan - Mersin University Psychology student
• Konca Kuriş - Islamic feminist writer, journalist and activist
• Metin Özülkü - musician, singer-songwriter, composer and arranger
• Ahmet Kireççi (aka Mersinli Ahmet) – Olympic medalist wrestler
• Nevit Kodallı – composer
• Seyhan Kurt – poet, writer, sociologist
• Cemal Mersinli – a pasha of the Ottoman Empire
• Olga Nakkas – film director
• İpek Ongun – writer
• Macit Özcan – former mayor
• Suna Tanaltay – writer and psychologist.
• Eda Özülkü - Turkish pop musician
• Atıf Yılmaz – film director and producer
• Mabel Matiz – Turkish pop musician
• Tuğba Şenoğlu – volleyball player
• Emre Demir – footballer
• Manuş Baba - Pop folk musician

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{{Portal|Turkey}}

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• Mersin Martyrs' Memorial
• Gözne
• Soli, Cilicia
• Kazanlı
• List of mayors of Mersin
• Attorney General of Mersin
• Atatürk Monument (Mersin)
• Gulf of Mersin
• Dikilitaş, Mersin
• Mersin Feneri
• Atatürk Parkı
• Tırmıl
• Mersin Citrus Festival
• Radyo Çukurova

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{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

• Blue Guide, Turkey, The Aegean and Mediterranean Coasts ({{ISBN|978-0-393-30489-3}}), pp. 556–557.
• Blood-Dark Track: A Family History (Granta Books) by Joseph O'Neill, contains a detailed and evocative history of the city, viewed from the perspective of a Christian Syrian family long resident in Mersin.
• Richard Talbert, Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World, ({{ISBN|978-0-691-03169-9}}), p. 66
• {{Catholic|wstitle=Zephyrium}}

{{Wikivoyage|Mersin}}

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{{Commons category|Mersin}}

• [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3atext%3a1999%2e04%2e0006&query=id%3dzephyrion#id,zephyrion Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites]
• [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15757a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia "Zephyrium"]

{{Districts of Turkey|provname=Mersin}}

{{Metropolitan centers in Turkey}}

{{Mediterranean Games}}

{{Mersin Province}}

{{Largest cities in Turkey}}

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Category:Çukurova

Category:Cilicia

Category:Mediterranean port cities and towns in Turkey

Category:Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Turkey

Category:Cities in Turkey

Category:Populated coastal places in Turkey

Zephyrium

Category:Seaside resorts in Turkey

Category:Populated places in Mersin Province

Category:Geography of ancient Anatolia