A Mediterranean seaport in Asia Minor.
The apostle Paul and Barnabas sailed back to Antioch from Attalia at the end of Paul’s first missionary journey (Acts 14:25). The town was founded by Attalus II Philadelphus, the king of the province of Pergamum from 159 to 138 BC. Pergamum was taken by the Romans in 79 BC and became a province in AD 43. In Paul’s time, Attalia was part of the province of Pamphylia.
Today, though its harbor is shallow, it is still an important Turkish seaport (Antalya).