Perga

Perga (meaning: very earthy) was the capital city of Pamphylia on the southern coast of Asia Minor, located a few miles inland from the Mediterranean near the Cestrus River. Paul and Barnabas passed through Perga twice during the first missionary journey — first on their way inland to Pisidian Antioch, and again on the return trip when Paul preached there. John Mark left the party at Perga on the outward journey, a departure that caused the later disagreement between Paul and Barnabas. Perga was a significant city with a famous temple of Artemis and a well-preserved Hellenistic-Roman urban layout still visible archaeologically.