Tokat

Tokat is a city of Turkey in the mid-Black Sea region of Anatolia. It is the seat of Tokat Province and Tokat District. Its population is 163,405 (2022). It is located at the confluence of the Tokat River (Tokat Suyu) with the Yeşilırmak.

Historically situated on important trade routes linking Central Anatolia with the Black Sea region, Tokat has been inhabited since antiquity and has served as a significant administrative, commercial, and military centre under numerous civilizations, including the Romans, Byzantines, Seljuks, and Ottomans. The city is noted for its well-preserved historic architecture, including Tokat Castle, the Gök Medrese, and the Ottoman-era Taşhan.

History

The city was established in the Hittite era. During the time of King Mithradates VI of Pontus, it was one of his many strongholds in Asia Minor.

Known as Evdokia or Eudoxia, ecclesiastically it was later incorporated into the western part of the Byzantine Greek Empire of Trebizond.

Some authors like Guillaume de Jerphanion and William Mitchell Ramsay identified Tokat with the ancient and medieval Dazimon, with Ramsay saying, "Dazimon, which seems to have been a fortress, must have been the modern Tokat, with its strong castle.

Hittites c. 1600–1200 BC Phrygia c. 800–695 BC Achaemenid Empire c. 547–333 BC Macedonian Empire 333–323 BC Kingdom of Pontus c. 281–63 BC Roman Empire 63 BC–395 AD Byzantine Empire 395–1071 Seljuk Empire 1071–1080s Danishmendids c. 1080–1175 Sultanate of Rum 1175–1243 Ilkhanate 1243–1335 Eretna Beylik 1335–1381 Kadı Burhan al-Din State 1381–1398 Ottoman Empire 1398–1922 Turkey 1923–present

Henri Grégoire, on the other hand, refuted this as implausible, because a 13th-century text written by Ibn Bibi clearly distinguishes Dazimon and Tokat as separate places. Instead, he said, Tokat should be identified with the town of Dokeia (Greek: Δόκεια) mentioned in another 10th-century text, by Theophanes Continuatus, which says that the Byzantine general John Kourkouas was born in a village near Dokeia sometime in the 9th century. According to Grégoire, the name "Dokeia" does not have a Greek etymology and probably represents an old Anatolian place name. The supposed derivation from "Eudokia", he claimed, is only a folk etymology that came much later.

After the Battle of Manzikert the town, like most of Asia Minor, came under the control of the Seljuk Turks. After the death of Sultan Suleiman ibn Qutulmish in 1086, the Emir Danishmend Gazi took control of the area, operating from his power base in the town of Sivas. It would be many decades before the Seljuks re-took control of that region, in the reign of Kilij Arslan II. After the Battle of Köse Dağ, Seljuk hold over the region was lost, and local Emirs such as the Eretna took power until the rise of the Ottomans, who captured the town in 1392 under Sultan Bayazid I.

Demographics

Tokat is the administrative centre of Tokat Province and one of the principal urban settlements of the Central Black Sea region. The city has experienced steady population growth through its role as a regional centre for commerce, education, and public administration.

As the largest settlement in the province, Tokat serves as a hub for surrounding towns and rural communities, concentrating a significant proportion of the provincial population within the urban area.

The population of Tokat city has increased gradually in the twenty-first century, reflecting urban growth within the central district.

Economy

Historically, copper was mined in the area. According to Greek researcher, Dimosthenis Oeconomidis (1858–1938):

The town was notorious for its textile industry and its copper manufacturing plants which were reliant on the Kempan Maden mine, a mine which has since been depleted but which in the prior century kept 600 factories in operation.

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Traditional crafts

Tokat is historically known for Tokat yazması, a traditional form of hand-printed textile produced using carved wooden blocks and natural dyes. The craft has been practiced in the city since at least the medieval period and reached particular prominence during the Ottoman era. Tokat became one of Anatolia's principal centres of textile printing, and the tradition continues today through local workshops producing both traditional and modern designs.

Traditional copperworking has also formed part of Tokat's artisanal heritage. The city was historically known for the manufacture of copper utensils and metal goods, which were traded throughout the region and contributed to the local economy.

Tobacco Cultivation

Historically, tobacco cultivation was one of the most important agricultural activities in the Tokat region. The fertile basins surrounding the city supported the production of tobacco alongside cereals, sugar beet, and fruit crops, and tobacco remained an important commercial product throughout the late Ottoman and early Republican periods.

Transport

Tokat occupies a strategic position between Central Anatolia and the Black Sea region. The city is connected to neighbouring provinces through a network of state highways linking it with Sivas, Amasya, Ordu, and Samsun.

Road transportation is the principal means of access to the city. Tokat is also served by Tokat Airport, which provides domestic air connections and contributes to regional accessibility.

Agriculture

Agriculture has historically played a major role in the economy of Tokat and the surrounding region. The fertile valleys of the Yeşilırmak basin support the cultivation of cereals, fruits, vegetables, and industrial crops.

Tokat is particularly known for the production of grapes, cherries, apples, tomatoes, and tobacco. Viticulture has a long history in the region, and vineyards remain an important part of the agricultural landscape.

Culture

Tokat possesses a rich cultural heritage shaped by its location at the crossroads of Anatolia and the Black Sea region. Throughout its history, the city has been influenced by Hittite, Persian, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk, and Ottoman civilizations, each contributing to its cultural landscape.

Traditional handicrafts, folk music, and local festivals remain important elements of cultural life. Tokat is particularly known for its historic Ottoman architecture, including caravanserais, mosques, baths, and traditional houses that reflect the city's historical role as a regional commercial centre.

Education

Higher education in Tokat is centred on Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University, a public university established in 1992. The university offers programmes in medicine, engineering, agriculture, social sciences, and education, serving students from across northern and central Anatolia.

The university contributes significantly to the city's educational, cultural, and economic development.

Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University is a public university in Tokat, founded in 1992. It is named after Ottoman field marshal Osman Nuri Paşa, who is commonly known as Gazi Osman Paşa.

Sports

Football is the most popular sport: in the older districts above the city center children often kick balls around in the evenings in the smallest streets. The city's football club is Tokatspor, which plays its games at the Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa Stadium.

Basketball, volleyball, tennis, swimming, cable skiing (in summer), horse riding, go karting, paintballing, martial arts and many other sports are played. Cycling and jogging are only common along the sea front, where recreational fishing is also popular.

Cuisine

Foods distinctive to Tokat include Tokat kebabı and Zile pekmezi, the latter being served in a wooden pot. Tokat kebabı consists of sliced lamb, aubergines, potatoes, green bell peppers and tomatoes. The slices are laid on their sides in rows in a dish and baked with cloves of garlic. Zile pekmezi is a grape-molasses confection, prepared from a variety of small green grapes, which are pressed (traditionally by foot but nowadays by machine) and then evaporated to a thick syrup by boiling. Egg-whites are then beaten into the syrup until it forms a pale marshmallow-like paste. It is sold commercially in tubs.

Tourism

Tokat is known for its well-preserved historical architecture and cultural heritage, reflecting its importance as a regional centre during the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. Among the city's most prominent landmarks are Tokat Castle, an ancient hilltop fortress overlooking the city, and the nearby Gök Medrese, a thirteenth-century Seljuk monument regarded as one of the finest examples of medieval Anatolian architecture.

Tourism in Tokat is strongly linked to its archaeological heritage, with nearby excavation sites such as Maşat Höyük and Komana Pontica contributing to its cultural significance. These sites reflect continuous settlement in the region from the Bronze Age onward and attract academic and heritage-focused visitors.

The Tokat Museum serves as the main institutional centre for artefacts recovered from regional excavations, displaying material spanning Hittite, Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman periods. The historic city centre contains numerous monuments dating from the Seljuk and Ottoman eras, including caravanserais, mosques, baths, and traditional houses. Among the best-known is Taşhan, a seventeenth-century Ottoman caravanserai that continues to serve as a commercial and cultural attraction.

Tourism in Tokat also includes visits to nearby natural and historical attractions throughout the province, including canyons, lakes, historic towns, and archaeological sites, making the city an important base for exploring the wider Yeşilırmak basin.

• Tokat Ali Pasha Mosque
• The Taşhan (also known as the Voyvoda Han) is a popular touristic attraction near Tokat castle.
• Tokat Ulu Mosque
• Tokat Arastalı Bedesten (now Tokat Museum) and Tokat Castle
• Esentimur Tomb, Tokat, 13th century

The most important landmark is Tokat Castle, an Ottoman citadel with 28 towers on a rocky hill overlooking the town. Vlad the Impaler, who may have inspired Bram Stoker's fictional character Count Dracula, was imprisoned in one of its dungeons. Other sights include the remains of several Greek Orthodox churches and a cathedral, the Garipler Mosque dating to the 12th century, the Ali Paşa Mosque (16th century), the Hatuniye Külliyesi, also 16th century and the Gök Medrese (Pervane Bey Darussifasi), which was constructed in 1270. It was founded as a school of theology, and was converted into a museum, housing archaeological finds from the area, until that function was transferred in 2012 to another location.

Archaeology

The Tokat region has been inhabited since antiquity and contains archaeological remains from numerous civilizations. The area formed part of the Hittite cultural sphere during the Bronze Age and later came under the control of the Phrygians, Persians, Romans, and Byzantines.

Archaeological sites throughout the province provide evidence of continuous settlement over several millennia, reflecting Tokat's strategic position within northern Anatolia.

Among the city's notable Ottoman monuments is the Ali Paşa Mosque (Ali Paşa Camii), a sixteenth-century mosque commissioned by Ali Paşa during the reign of Sultan Selim II and completed in 1572. The mosque forms part of a larger külliye (complex) that originally included a bathhouse and a mausoleum. It is regarded as one of the principal examples of classical Ottoman architecture in Tokat and remains an important religious and historical landmark within the city.

The Latifoglu Konak, a late 18th-century Ottoman residence, is an example of Baroque architecture. The two-story building has been restored and has been converted into a small museum. Much of the furniture in the kitchen, study, visitors' rooms with bath and toilet, bedroom, master's room, and harem is original.

Ballıca Cave is a small cave situated at 6 km (3.8 mi) southeast of Pazar, Tokat Province.

• Ballıca Cave Image
• Ballıca Han Door decoration
• Ballıca Han Decoration at entrance
• Ballıca Han View into closed courtyard
• Ballıca Han Exterior wall

Climate

Tokat has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, or alternatively a continental climate (Köppen: Csa, Trewartha: Dc). Due to the relatively high altitude and inland location, winters are fairly cold with average lows below the freezing point and significant snowfall.

Highest recorded temperature:47.2 °C (117.0 °F) on 29 July 2025 Lowest recorded temperature:−23.4 °C (−10.1 °F) on 20 January 1972

Mayors of Tokat

• 1984-1989 Hüdayi Sayıbaş ANAP
• 1989-1994 İsmet Saraçoğlu DYP
• 1994-2004 Nizamettin Aydın Refah Party, Fazilet Partisi, DYP, Saadet Party
• 2004-2014 Adnan Çiçek AK Party
• 2014-2024 Eyüp Eroğlu AK Party
• 2024-present Mehmet Kemal Yazıcıoğlu MHP

Notable people

• Apkar Tebir Tokhatetsi (1520?–1572?), Armenian printer and typographer
• Gazi Osman Paşa (1832–1897), Ottoman commander
• Symeon Savvidis (1859–1927), Greek painter
• Mehmet Emin Tokadi Hazretleri (1664–1745), Sufi saint of Istanbul
• Krikor Balakian (1875–1934), Armenian bishop
• Cahit Külebi (1917–1997), Turkish poet
• Engin Günaydın (born 1972), Turkish actor and comedian
• Hüseyin Akbaş (1933–1989), Turkish World and Olympic Champion in wrestling
• Seda Sayan (born 1964), Turkish pop folk singer, actress and TV variety-show hostess
• Aziz Kocaoğlu (born 1948), mayor and politician.

International relations

Tokat is twinned with:

See also

• Tokat Airport
• Tokat (electoral district)
• Tokat Province
• Rûm Eyalet

Notes

Sources and external links

• at kultur.gov.tr