Station: [47] Tarsus

What you see hanging here is a burqa. Many women here and in many cities across the Middle East wear veils. They use them to protect themselves. Put it on. Look at life a different perspective. Tarsus is about encountering other cultures and viewpoints. It feels good. You’re not the smart one and the others aren’t the stupid ones. Do you think that just because you’re used to something, it’s the best? It’s not just the wood for shipbuilding, hauled in the vast forests, that’s important to Tarsus. Up there, that large building—it’s one of the most famous universities in the Roman Empire. Just around the corner is one of the many Roman temples, with a Greek one right next to it. The caravan over there is coming Egypt. Tarsus is the provincial capital of Cilicia. Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, and Cleopatra all stopped here.