| Type: | neighbourhood |
| Province: | Mersin |
| District: | Erdemli |
| Arpaçbahşiş | |
| Population Total: | 7285 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 |
| Coordinates: | 36.65°N 55°W |
| Postal Code: | 33730 |
| Area Code: | 0324 |
Arpaçbahşiş is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Erdemli, Mersin Province, Turkey.[1] Its population is 7,285 (2022).[2] Before the 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (belde).[3] [4]
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.[5]
In 1865, the settlement was established as a village of Mersin. In 1970, the village of Arpaçbahşiş was declared a town.
Although the original settlement is 2km (01miles) 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 5km (03miles) and to Mersin is 30km (20miles).
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.