Ağırnas
Ağırnas | |
|---|---|
| Sinan House in Ağırnas Sinan House in Ağırnas | |
 Location of Ağırnas within Turkey. | |
| Country |  Turkey |
| Region | Central Anatolia |
| District | Melikgazi |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 38x xx |
| Area code | (+90) 352 |
| Licence plate | 38 |
| Website | www.agirnas.bel.tr |
Ağırnas is a township with own municipality in Central Anatolia, Turkey, within the boundaries of Kayseri metropolitan area and administratively depending Kayseri's metropolitan municipality of Melikgazi, 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 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 and Ağırnas may well be sharing the characteristics and become the next in line to neighboring underground localities such as Derinkuyu and Kaymaklı Underground City. Caves and subterranean vaults and passages, complete in chapels, dining rooms, cells and perhaps even dungeons and torture rooms, are for the moment partially open to public with Sinan house's cellar as departure point.