Belen Pass

Can a mountain lead a whole army astray? In the autumn of 333 BC, Alexander the Great was marching with his army toward the Syrian Gates south of the Amanos Mountains, today’s Belen Pass. Meanwhile the Persian king Darius crossed the mountains by another pass to the north and came out behind Alexander. When the news reached him, Alexander turned back, and the two armies met at Issus… Two kings seeking each other on either side of the mountains; history is sometimes written by which side of a pass you happen to stand on.