Some authors like Guillaume de Jerphanion[4] and William Mitchell Ramsay[5] 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.[5]
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.[4] 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.[4] According to Grégoire, the name "Dokeia" does not have a Greek etymology and probably represents an old Anatolian place name.[4] The supposed derivation from "Eudokia", he claimed, is only a folk etymology that came much later.[4]
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.
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
Tokat Kebabı
Foods distinctive to Tokat include Tokat kebabı and Zilepekmezi, 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.[7]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.[8]
Tourism
Façade of the Gök Medrese in Tokat, founded by the Pervâne in around 1270.
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.[9][10] 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.
Tokat Ali Pasha Mosque
Tokat Ali Pasha Mosque View along side
Tokat Ali Pasha Mosque View along side
Tokat Ali Pasha Mosque Entrance
Tokat Ali Pasha Mosque Entrance
Tokat Ali Pasha Mosque Interior
Tokat Ali Pasha Mosque Interior
Tokat Ali Pasha Mosque Mausoleum
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.
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