Pisidia

Pisidia (or Psidia) was one of the ancient regions of Asia Minor, bordering other ancient regions such as Lycia, Caria, Lydia, Phrygia and Pamphylia. Today you may locate it north of Antalya province in southern Turkey, and north of the Taurus Mountains.

Pisidia has been inhabited since late Stone Age dating back to 8th millennia BC. Some of its ancient settlements were also mentioned in the Hittite records. Also Herodotus and Strabo once mentioned about Pisidia and its inhabitants. It was a mountainous region but with very fertile soil. Pisidians spoke an extinct Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language.

After the Persians, Alexander the Great marched in this region during the Hellenistic period when he sieged two Psidian cities: Sagalassos and Termessos. After his death, first the Seleucids and then Pergamon Kingdom ruled the area until it passed to Romans, becoming the new province of Galatia.

Pisidia became an important early Christian center as Saint Paul visited and preached in Antioch during his journeys. During the Byzantine rule the area was devastated by earthquakes, illnesses, and Arab raids until 7th century AD, therefore it started to lose its importance as a trade route. The Seljuks captured the area in the 11th century, and then the Ottomans ruled.

Some of the important cities of Pisidia region were Antioch in Pisidia (today's Yalvac), Termessos, Sagalassos, and Selge.