Pushing back the Horizon (18): The Route of St Paul: exploring Turkey on foot

Take the time to discover the trade and military routes in southern Turkey and open the door to a better understanding of the European history of this land.

An historical and sporting walk

Both lovers of Turkey and of walking, Kate Clow and Terry Richardson carried out the necessary research and opened the way for the rediscovery of two historical and landscaped routes. Each route covers more than 500 kilometres, with 'way-markers' and improvements made annually. The two routes are "The Lycian Way", linking Fethiye and Antalya, originally proposed in 1999, and the "Saint Paul Trail", launched in 2004 and following one of the itineraries of St Paul in the Roman Empire on his travels as an evangelist.

On the first route we find ourselves following in the footsteps of the Lycians, one of the first Anatolian peoples whose Mediterranean history of port and trade activity is on a par with that of the #Phoenicians. 

Later in their history, the Lycians entered into an alliance with the Hittites against the Egyptians. Sarpedon, one of the kings of Lycia, fought at Troy. 

This people lived under the yoke of the Persians until they were liberated by Alexander the Great. Following a period of Greek rule which led to the introduction of the Greek language to the country the Lycians gained a degree of autonomy as part of the Roman Empire. Patara, the capital of Lycia, a former port now turned to marshland, was the seat of one of the first democratic states, the Lycian league. 

It was after the conversion to Christianity that Saint Nicholas of Myra or Bari was born in Patara and it was from Patara that St Paul left for Phoenicia. Passing between mountains and calm valleys with clear blue lagoons, "The Lycian Way" follows the ancient trade routes and passes antique cities such as Olympos and Xanthe, the latter of which is a #UNESCO world heritage site. The route also passes through farming villages and several towns to give walkers the chance to experience contemporary Turkish culture off the beaten track.

Invigorated by the success of their first trekking project which attracted walkers and sportsmen from around the world, the creators established a second long-distance walking route in Turkey. They hope that this will develop into a European cultural route to be based on the biblical texts which recount the life of St Paul, from his birth in Tarsus in Cilicia (south-eastern Turkey), to Rome, marking the main stages of his life in much the same way as the European project concerning Saint Martin of Tours which is recognised as a cultural route of the Council of Europe. A route based on St Paul would include Damascus, Cyprus, Antioch, Samothrace, Thessalonica or Athens, Ephesus and, of course, Roman roads. 

The Via Sebaste is an historical road which runs through both Pamphylia in the south of Taurus and Pisidia, a region with many lakes in Turkey. It travels from the splendid coastline panorama and antique city of Perge, an inland port protected from invasions, to Antioch in Pisidia, a Roman garrison which defended the area during the saint's lifetime, and crosses the lake of Egirdir. According to holy texts, Paul delivered his sermon to the Gentiles in Antioch and also considered building the centre of Anatolian Christianity there.

As with the first route this itinerary is designed for experienced walkers, including trekkers. For those who enjoy a relaxed pace of travelling, journeying on foot remains the best way of experiencing the European history of Turkey, a country whose landscapes say as much about our common European roots as about our ancient status as homo viator.

Several very practical guides with detailed maps have been published by the creators of these routes. They can be ordered via the website.

Photo: Harvest. Copyright Kate Clow Others from website: Lycian Way Guide 2025 | Routes, Stages, Maps & Tips