Tokat

The province

Get to know Tokat

Tokat lies inland from the Western Black Sea, on the route up to the Anatolian plateau, and was an important city for the Danismendids and the Seljuks. The old town spreads at the foot of a rock topped by the castle.

Tokat Castle has 28 towers and was restored by the Seljuks and the Ottomans; tradition says Vlad the Impaler was imprisoned there in the 15th century. In town, the Gök Medrese, a 13th-century madrasa, houses tombs and tiles, and the Tokat Museum occupies the former covered bazaar Arastalı Bedesten. Latifoğlu Mansion (Latifoğlu Konağı) shows the home of a wealthy Ottoman family, and caravanserais such as Taşhan and Deveciler Hanı recall the old trade routes.

Tokat is known for yazma, hand-printed textiles stamped with carved linden-wood blocks, a craft still practiced in the city’s workshops.

In the Pazar district, 26 km from the capital, the Ballıca cave has chambers with stalactites and stalagmites and is on UNESCO’s tentative list. To the west, Zile Castle marks the site of the battle of Zela in 47 BC, after which Julius Caesar sent the Senate the phrase “Veni, vidi, vici.” Niksar, to the north, was the Danismendid capital and preserves another castle and old mosques.

On the table, Tokat kebab, roasted lamb with eggplant, potato and tomato, is the dish named for the city. Bakla dolması and keşkek are also commonly served.