Starting from Tarsus, I arrived at a certain city above the sea, but still in Cilicia, called Pompeiopolis. Thence I entered the borders of Hisauria, and halted in a city called Coricus. On the third day I arrived at the city called Seleucia in Hisauria. When I arrived there I was at the bishop’s, a right holy man, formerly a monk. In the same city I saw a very beautiful church. And since the distance was about 1,500 paces from thence to S. Thecla (which place is outside the city on an elevated tableland), I preferred to go out to it and there make the halt which I purposed. In addition to the holy church nothing else is there save innumerable monasteries, both for men and women. I found there one woman, a very dear friend of mine, to whose life all in the East bore testimony, a holy deaconess, by name Marthana, whom I had known at Jerusalem, whither she had gone up for the sake of prayer; she ruled the monasteries of Renuntiants and Virgins. When she saw me what joy for both of us! How can I describe it?
But to return. There are very many monasteries on the hill, and in the midst a great wall enclosing the church in which is the martyr-memorial, a very fine thing. And, further, the wall was built to guard the church on account of the Hisauri, who are very mischievous and constantly engage in brigandage, lest by chance they should make an attempt on the monastery which is there appointed.
Seleucia, Iraq
Source: Saint Silvia, Pilgrimage of S. Silvia of Aquitainia to the Holy Places, circ. 385 A.D.
Further links:
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/egeria/pilgrimage/pilgrimage.html
http://scholar.colorado.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2076&context=honr_theses
http://www.news.va/en/news/silvia-the-saint-of-the-month-as-told-by-silvia-gu