Pınarbaşı (Adyghe: Iазэй/Пынарбащы) previously known as Aziziye is a municipality and district of Kayseri, Turkey.[2] It was first established in 1863 by the Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz.[3] In 1863, Lozade Mahmut Efendi was appointed as the first mayor of Pınarbaşı.[4][5] Its area is 3,418 km2,[6] and its population is 21,240 (2022).[1]
History
Ariarateia (Greek: Ἀριαράθεια; Roman: Ariarátheia) or Ariarátia (present-day Pınarbaşı in Kayseri, Turkey) was a Cappadocian city founded by Ariarate IV (r. 220–163 BC), in the region at the time known as Sargarausena. It was incorporated into the Roman Empire upon the annexation of Cappadocia as a province by Emperor Tiberius.
In the 4th century, more precisely during the reign of Constantine (r. 306–337), the eastern portion of Cappadocia was separated to form Lesser Armenia. In the middle of the same century, Armenia Minor was divided into Armenia Prima and Armenia Secunda, Ariarateia being incorporated into the latter. In 431, Ariarateia is documented as a suffragan diocese. During the Byzantine Empire, it was renamed Dasmenda.
Near the neighbourhood of Melikgazi are the ruins of Tzamandos, a Byzantine border fortress town built by the famous Armenian general Melias around the year 909/910.[7][8]
In 1065, the town was given among other lands in the region to the last Bagratuni King Gagik II as exchange for him renouncing the Kingdom of Armenia.[9]
Pınarbaşı, originally founded by Sultan Abdülaziz in 1863 under the name Aziziye, was later renamed during the Republican period to its current name, Pınarbaşı. It has preserved much of its cultural heritage, including Ottoman-era mosques, madrasahs, and wooden houses. Notable landmarks include the Old Bath (Turkish: Eski Hamam), a 19th-century Ottoman bath, Barbaros Elementary School, now the Pınarbaşı National Education Directorate, founded in 1910,[10] and Aziziye Mosque.[4] The town also features Greek-style wooden mansions, such as Aşhotlar Mansion, which were later used by Turks following the population exchange.
^See Vryonis, Speros (1971), The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor and the Process of Islamization from the eleventh through the Fifteenth Century. Los Angeles pp. 54-55.
