“Springhead” Population: 21,250
Old names: Ariarateia, Dasmenda, Aziziye
The small town of Pınarbaşı, east of Kayseri and Karatay, is not in itself worth a special trip. However, if you’re heading south to Şar (Komina) you will need to pass through it and might want to break your journey to have a quick look round.
The most interesting part of town is near the big Alparslan Türkeş Park in the grounds of the power station where the original spring after which the town is named has been channelled to provide a pleasing backdrop for the tea pavilions. Just outside stand the Ottoman houses of the old town, almost all of them now abandoned in favour of modern houses in the new town.
In the town centre the Ulu (Aziziye) Cami is an imposing stone building with an attractive portico, built between 1903 and 1913 to a design that suggests that its architect was probably Armenian. A 19th-century church building also survives in the car park but is no more than a dull shell.
The town has a considerable Circassian population settled here since they were driven out of the Caucasus in the mid-19th century. Many more Circassians live in the villages between Pınarbaşı and Siva, especially around Uzun Yayla to the north-east.
Transport info
Buses and dolmuşes to Pınarbaşı leave from the Doğu Terminalı in Kayseri, itself accessible by tram from the Cumhuriyet Meydanı. Pınarbaşı otogar is on the northern outskirts of town.
