Agirnas
Encyclopedia
Ağırnas is a township with own municipality in Central Anatolia, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, within the boundaries of Kayseri
Kayseri
Kayseri is a large and industrialized city in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is the seat of Kayseri Province. The city of Kayseri, as defined by the boundaries of Kayseri Metropolitan Municipality, is structurally composed of five metropolitan districts, the two core districts of Kocasinan and...

 metropolitan area and administratively depending Kayseri's metropolitan municipality of Melikgazi
Melikgazi
Melikgazi is a metropolitan district of Kayseri in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. Along with the neighboring Kocasinan district, it was historically the core of Kayseri city, until additional districts were joined into the metropolitan area in 2004...

, although it retains its distinct character. The town lies at a distance of 24 km (15 mi) from Kayseri center.

Ağırnas is the birthplace of Mimar Sinan the Architect, and is a site rich in historic buildings. One recently restored house is associated with Sinan himself, and the church of the former Greek community of the town, Agios Prokopis
Saint Procopius
Saint Procopius may refer to:*Procopius of Scythopolis *Procopius of Sázava *Procopius of Ustiug...

 Church, is also fully intact.

Although they remain far from having been explored in full, the town appears to extend for quite a length below the ground as well, which is not uncommon for Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...

 and Ağırnas may well be sharing the characteristics and become the next in line to neighboring underground localities such as Derinkuyu
Derinkuyu
Derinkuyu is a town and district of Nevşehir Province in the Central Anatolia region of Turkey. According to 2010 census, population of the district is 22,114 of which 10,679 live in the town of Derinkuyu. The district covers an area of , and the average elevation is , with the highest point being Mt...

 and Kaymaklı Underground City
Kaymakli Underground City
Kaymaklı Underground City is contained within the citadel of Kaymaklı in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. First opened to tourists in 1964, the village is about 19 km from Nevşehir, on the Nevşehir-Niğde road. The ancient name was Enegup. The houses in the village are constructed around...

. Caves and subterranean vaults
Vault (architecture)
A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...

 and passages, complete in chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...

s, dining rooms, cells and perhaps even dungeon
Dungeon
A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period...

s and torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...

rooms, are for the moment partially open to public with Sinan house's cellar as departure point.
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