60 · City guide
Tokat
City of Danishmendid madrasas and Tokat yazma prints
Tokat is a city in the Yeşilırmak basin that bears the traces of many states, from the Hittites to the Ottomans. The Gök Medrese, Yağıbasan Madrasa, Garipler Mosque and tombs from the Danishmendid and Seljuk periods, together with the Ottoman-era Taşhan and Hatuniye Complex, make up the historic center; Sulusokak links these buildings together. The Tokat Museum in the Arastalı Bedesten presents the region's archaeological riches, while the Mevlevihane (Mevlevi lodge) tells of dervish lodge culture. Highlights in the districts include Niksar's castle and the Yağıbasan, one of Anatolia's first madrasas, Zile's castle associated with Caesar, and Turhal castle. Ballıca Cave in Pazar and Zinav Lake in Reşadiye are nature stops. Tokat kebab, yaprak sarması (stuffed vine leaves) and Tokat yazması (block-printed cloth) are the city's well-known culinary and craft heritage.
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Where shall we explore?
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.Mosque
Ali Paşa Mosque
Merkez, Tokat
A domed mosque commissioned in 1572 by Ali Paşa, Beylerbeyi of Erzurum; Tokat's only surviving original 16th-century wooden ablution fountain is here.
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Almus Dam Lake
Almus, Tokat
The Almus Dam Lake on the Yeşilırmak, completed in 1966, surrounded by forests and with many coves.
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History and archaeology
Artova Underground Settlement (Boyunpınar)
Artova, Tokat
An Early Christian underground settlement carved into the bedrock north of the village of Boyunpınar, with three levels and three corridors.
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Ballıca Cave Nature Park
Pazar, Tokat
A multi-level cave in Pazar, famous for its unique 'onion stalactites'; a nature park since 2007 and on the UNESCO Tentative List.
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Ski resort
Başçiftlik Ski Facility
Başçiftlik, Tokat
A small-scale ski facility on the Canik Mountains, about 8 km from Başçiftlik, opening with the snow.
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Çamiçi Highland (Çamiçi Yaylası)
Niksar, Tokat
A highland 17 km north of Niksar at an altitude of about 1,350 meters, entirely covered with pine forest.
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Garipler Mosque
Merkez, Tokat
A building from the Danishmendid period, known for its green-glazed brick minaret and counted among Anatolia's oldest mosques.
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Gök Medrese
Merkez, Tokat
A two-story Seljuk madrasa commissioned by Muineddin Pervane in 1277, famous for its aubergine-purple, navy and turquoise tiles.
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Hatuniye Mosque and Complex
Merkez, Tokat
A complex consisting of a mosque, madrasa and imaret built in 1485 in the name of Gülbahar Hatun, mother of Bayezid II.
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Hıdırlık Bridge
Merkez, Tokat
A Seljuk bridge over the Yeşilırmak dated 1250, with five arches and 151 meters long; today open to pedestrians.
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Tomb (türbe)
Hubyar Sultan Lodge (Tekke)
Almus, Tokat
The Hubyar Sultan Lodge at the foot of Tekeli Dağı in the village of Hubyar in Almus; an important Alevi place of pilgrimage.
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Leylekli (Yılanlı) Bridge
Niksar, Tokat
A single-arched historic bridge over the Çanakçı Deresi, known for the relief on its keystone of a stork holding a snake in its beak.
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Mahperi Hatun Caravanserai
Pazar, Tokat
A Seljuk caravanserai with a muqarnas portal in Pazar, commissioned by Mahperi Hatun in 1238.
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Tomb of Melik Gazi
Niksar, Tokat
The mosque-like, Seljuk-style tomb of the Danishmendid Melik Ahmet Gazi, who conquered Niksar.
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Niksar Castle
Niksar, Tokat
The castle of ancient Kabeira; according to Ministry sources the second-largest castle in Türkiye, with remains of a madrasa, hamams and a dungeon inside.
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Niksar Ulu Camii (Great Mosque)
Niksar, Tokat
The Ulu Cami, one of Niksar's oldest mosques, built in the mid-12th century in the Danishmendid period.
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Madrasa and külliye (complex)
Niksar Yağıbasan Madrasa
Niksar, Tokat
Dated 1158, the oldest surviving madrasa in Anatolia according to Ministry sources; at the foot of Niksar Castle.
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Ancient city
Ancient City of Sebastopolis
Sulusaray, Tokat
The ancient city of Sebastopolis lying beneath Sulusaray, where a Roman bath and a Byzantine church have been brought to light by excavations.
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Silahtar Ömer Paşa Mosque
Erbaa, Tokat
A 17th-century building in the village of Akça in Erbaa, considered one of Anatolia's richest preserved wooden mosques.
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Sulusokak and Bey Sokağı
Merkez, Tokat
Tokat's old city center: the historic Sulusokak, lined with the Yağıbasan Madrasa, the Ali Tûsî Tomb, hans and the bedesten, and the nearby Bey Sokağı.
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Sümbül Baba Zaviye and Tomb
Merkez, Tokat
The Sümbül Baba Zaviye, dated 1292, with its Seljuk portal, masjid and tomb preserved.
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Taşhan (Voyvoda Hanı)
Merkez, Tokat
One of Anatolia's largest city hans, built in 1626–1632; today lively with handicraft and yazma shops.
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Tokat Atatürk House and Ethnography Museum
Merkez, Tokat
The house where Atatürk and Latife Hanım stayed as guests in 1925; today the Atatürk House and Ethnography Museum.
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Tokat Castle
Merkez, Tokat
A castle on the steep rock in the middle of the city, used from the Roman to the Ottoman period; known for its rock-cut secret passage and dungeon stories.
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Tokat Mevlevi Lodge Foundation Museum
Merkez, Tokat
A three-story Mevlevi lodge founded in the 17th century, renovated in baroque style in the 19th century and visited today as a Foundation Museum.
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Tokat Museum (Arastalı Bedesten)
Merkez, Tokat
A free museum in the 9-domed Arastalı Bedesten, with a collection ranging from Hittite finds from Maşathöyük to a Qur'an from the Danishmendid period.
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Tokat Clock Tower
Merkez, Tokat
A 33-meter cut-stone clock tower built in 1902 and raised to four stories in 1915.
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Castle
Turhal Castle
Turhal, Tokat
A castle overlooking Turhal on a steep rock about 180 meters above the plain, known for its passages descending into the mountain.
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Yağıbasan (Çukur) Madrasa
Merkez, Tokat
The Çukur Madrasa, with a dome 14 meters in diameter, commissioned in the 12th century by the Danishmendid Nizameddin Yağıbasan.
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Zile Castle
Zile, Tokat
A Roman castle rising on the mound in the middle of Zile; associated with Caesar's words 'Veni, vidi, vici'.
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Mosque
Zile Ulu Camii (Great Mosque)
Zile, Tokat
The lead-domed Zile Ulu Camii, whose first building dates back to 1267, rebuilt by Nasuh Paşa in 1591.
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Lake Zinav Nature Park
Reşadiye, Tokat
A forest-ringed landslide-dammed lake in Reşadiye; a nature park since 2011, with boat trips and angling available.
Practical information
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.- Note
- Tokat Castle is closed to visitors due to restoration (Ministry announcement).
- Best time
- Spring and autumn; summer for the yaylas and lakes.
- Museum pass
- Tokat Museum is free; check muze.gov.tr for current hours.
- Getting there
- Tokat Airport (opened in 2022); no railway to the city center, the line passes through Turhal and Zile.
- Getting around
- Sulusokak, Taşhan, the museum and the madrasas are walkable; a private vehicle is needed for Ballıca and the districts.