Karapınar

Karapınar grew around an Ottoman roadside foundation between Konya and Ereğli. A register of May 1560 described the site as a ruined village. Prince Selim, later Sultan Selim II, promoted its revival through a mosque complex and incentives for Türkmen settlement. About 120 households received exemption from specified extraordinary taxes. The settlement also became known as Sultaniye after its royal foundation.

Buildings alone did not secure a lasting population. In 1568–1569, water was brought roughly fifty-five kilometres from Ovacık on Karacadağ to supply the complex and five town fountains. The foundation included an inn, bath, shops and dyehouse, providing services for residents and passing travellers. A 1579 order called for surplus artisans from Niğde and Aksaray, including farriers, butchers, grocers, bakers and tailors, to settle here. Yet some residents repeatedly returned to villages and summer pastures; officials threatened to cancel exemptions and recover unpaid taxes from those who would not remain.