Arpaçbahşiş

Geography

Although the original settlement is 2 km (1.2 mi) north of the Mediterranean coast, the newer quarters of the town are being established at the coastal band. Arpaçbahşiş is located between Mersin and Erdemli, the distance to Erdemli is 5 km (3.1 mi) and to Mersin is 30 km (19 mi). The population is 6,010 as of 2012.

History

The area around Arpaçbahşiş was a part of historical Cilicia Pedias (eastern part of Cilicia, the flat Cilicia). During the domination of Ramadanid principality (a Turkmen dynasty between 13th and 16th centuries), a Turkmen tribe named Varsak settled in the area, north of the modern town of Tömük, several kilometers northeast of Arpaçbahşiş. At about 1375, a certain Elvan Bey of Varsak began controlling the area around Arpaçbahşiş. But the settlement was established much later; probably at the beginning of the 18th century, during the Ottoman era. Sarıkeçili, a Turkmen tribe from Konya, a city in central Anatolia, settled in the area. The town was named after Arpaç Hüseyin, the chief of the Sarıkeçili tribe.

In 1865, the settlement was established as a village of Mersin. In 1970, the village of Arpaçbahşiş was declared a town.

Economy

Like most towns around, Arpaçbahşiş is an agricultural town specialized in citrus. But, lately the coastal band of Arpaçbahşiş became a summer resort. It is populated by summer houses, and services to summer houses constitute an ever increasing revenue for the town.