The city has been identified with modern Zengibar Kalesi, Bozkır, Konya Province, Zengibar Castle was first discovered by a British traveler and geologist W.J.Hamilton on 12 August 1837. Hamilton, who spent two days in Zengibar Castle, discovered the name "Isaura" mentioned in ancient sources on the stone inscription. Until that time the city of Isaura was being searched around Lake Beyşehir. The name Isaura was first used as a city name in the Hellenistic Period by Diodoros.
Strabo: To Lycaonia belongs also Isaurice, near the Taurus itself, which has the two lsauras, villages bearing the same name, one of which is called Old lsaura, and the other New Isaura, which is well-fortified. Numerous other villages were subject to these, and they all were settlements of robbers. They were a source of much trouble to the Romans and in particular to Publius Servilius, surnamed Isauricus, with whom I was acquainted; he subjected these places to the Romans and also destroyed most of the strongholds of the pirates that were situated on the sea.
On the side of Isaurice lies Derbe, which lies closer to Cappadocia than to any other country and was the royal seat of the tyrant Antipater Derbetes. He also possessed Laranda. But in my time Derbe and also the two lsauras have been held by Amyntas, who attacked and killed Derbetes, although he received Isaura from the Romans. And, indeed, after destroying the Old Isaura, he built for himself a royal residence there. And though he was building a new wall in the same place, he did not live to complete it, but was killed by the Cilicians, when he was invading the country of the Homonadeis and was captured by ambuscade.
Sources:
- Strabo, Geography XII.6, https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0198:book=12:chapter=6&highlight=isaura
- Osman Doğanay, Zengibar Kalesi (Bozkır/Konya) 2010 Yılı Yüzey Araştırmasıı, 29. Araştırma Sonuçları Toplantısı [2011] 1. Cilt 3, pp. 403-422 [in turkish]
- https://biaa.ac.uk/uploads/album-1.viii.16.pdf, p. 77
- https://theodora.com/encyclopedia/i/isauria.html
- http://acikerisimarsiv.selcuk.edu.tr:8080/xmlui/handle/123456789/2197?locale-attribute=en