An ancient country, now part of south-eastern Turkey. Geographically, it fell into two distinct parts: the western area was mountainous, while the eastern consisted of a fertile plain with Tarsus as its main city. It came under the control of the Hittites, the Assyrians, the Achaemenids, and Alexander III (the Great) and was fought over by the Seleucids and Ptolemies. In the 2nd century bc it became a haven for pirates, who were finally crushed by the Roman general Pompey in 67 bc, and by the end of the century it was part of the Roman empire. It was occupied by migrating Armenians in 1080. In 1375 it was conquered by the Mamelukes of Egypt and in 1515 by the Ottoman Turks.