WebIn historical times, the city was first ruled by the Hittites, followed by Assyria, and then by the Persian Empire.As the principal town of Cilicia, Tarsus was the seat of a Persian satrapy from 400 BC onward. Indeed, Xenophon records that in 401 BC, when Cyrus the Younger marched against Babylon, the city was governed by King Syennesis in the name of the …