The location of Derbe has been searched for a long time
without any result. After the discovery of the Lystra, bible scholars
looked for Derbe near Lystra. Their understanding from the Acts of
Apostles that the location of Derbe was only one day walk from Lystra.
Sterret who discovered the site of Lystra, dislocated the site of Derbe.
He thought Derbe was 30 km in the west of Karaman. Great Bible scholar,
Sir Ramsay located Derbe at Gidelisin. All these arguments ended in 1956,
when another scholar Balance discovered a new inscription that mentioned
the name of Derbe. This inscription, in Greek language, weighted nearly 1
ton, revealed to us that the location of Derbe was 22 km in the North of
Karaman. Derbe was only city where the apostles were not persecuted. They
stayed there longer than other cities.
