Sinop, Turkey

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situated at the northern end of important caravan routes from Cappadocia and the lands of the Euphrates. Nowadays, however, communications with the Anatolian Plateau are rendered difficult by the intervening barrier of the West Pontic Mountains. The sandy beaches, with hotels and small airport, to the west of the town are well known. Sinope was an important Black Sea center in the eighth century B.C. when it was a Greek colony. In 413 B.C. the Cynic philosopher Diogenes (the one who lived in a tub and not to be confused with Diogenes of Apollonia) was born here.

No buildings survive from the great days of Sinope apart from scanty remains of the citadel, a Temple of Serapis and the town walls near the harbor.