Tokat

Host to many civilisations, Tokat is a city well worth seeing for its historic monuments and its natural landscape.

On this page about places to visit and historic sights in Tokat, we cover everything from the city's most visited spots to beauties hardly anyone knows about.

Tokat Castle is one of the first places you can visit. Little is known about it, but the first people to settle in the castle are thought to have been Christians of Comana Pontica. Tokat Castle has one special feature: the rocks it stands on are natural, and only the rooms inside the castle were made by human hands. Research suggests it was built in the 5th or 6th century. After the Eastern Roman Empire, the castle came under the protection of the Great Seljuk State.

Ballıca Cave, important for tourism, should certainly be on your list too. Ballıca Cave takes you on a large and mysterious journey and is known to be good for people with asthma. Because of this known healing effect, asthma patients even come from other cities. You can reach Ballıca Cave most easily from the district of Pazar. It is in the village of Ballıca in that district, just 26 km from the centre of Tokat. The stalactites and stalagmites inside offer visitors a spellbinding sight. The pool hall, the great dripstone hall, the muddy hall, the fossil hall, the hall of columns and the mushroom hall all stand out for their beauty. Every corner gives visitors a different pleasure, and you lose all track of time.

The Selemen Plateau can also make a fine journey of discovery. Lying between Reşadiye and the borders of Ordu, this summer pasture is where Sultan Selim I (Yavuz Sultan Selim Han) camped with his army on the way to the Battle of Chaldiran. It is also where local people set up a market, especially in summer.

You can also add the Boğalı Plateau to your list of places to visit in Tokat. Stretching between Tokat and Erbaa, its greenery and oxygen-rich air will be a pleasure.

Tokat has more places to visit than can be counted. Boğalı Plateau, Batmantaş Plateau and Dumanlı Plateau are ready to welcome you with all their charms.

Tokat Castle

Tokat, with a rich history that has hardly been explored, starts a long trip with the ancient castle at its centre.

Tokat Castle stands on a high hill in the city centre. There is no firm information about when or by whom it was built. It is thought to have been built in the 5th or 6th century.

Tokat Castle was clearly carved into a natural mass of rock. Its walls and rock-cut rooms are still solid today.

Ballıca Cave, Zile Castle and Niksar Castle can be among the best routes on your Tokat trip.

Tokat Mevlevi Lodge (Mevlevihane)

The Mevlevi Lodge in the Soğukpınar neighbourhood of central Tokat was built in the 17th century by Sülün Muslu Pasha.

Located on Bey Sokağı, the Tokat Mevlevi Lodge is architecturally very striking. This historic building, covering an area of 3,000 square metres, is mentioned in Evliya Çelebi's Book of Travels (Seyahatname). The lodge has a ground floor, an entrance floor and an upper floor.

There are five rooms in total on the ground floor, where various services were usually carried out. The entrance floor is reached by an outside staircase and holds the semahane, the hall where the sema ceremony is performed.

The Tokat Mevlevi Lodge has now been restored and turned into a museum. On display are carpets and kilims from Tokat and the surrounding provinces, handwritten Qurans, finds from the excavations at the Yağıbasan Madrasa and model whirling dervishes re-enacting the sema ceremony.

Niksar Castle

The castle in Tokat's Niksar district has come down to us in good condition, even though little is known about it, and it is one of the region's most important historic sites.

Niksar Castle stands on a high hill between the Maduru and Çanakçı streams. There is no information on when it was built, but it is thought that additions were made in the Danishmendid, Byzantine and Seljuk periods.

One of the few things known about the castle is that, having been damaged by earthquakes and wars, it was repaired again and again in the Byzantine and Turkish periods. So it is fair to say that it bears traces of every era.

Zile Castle

Zile Castle, with a fine view over the Zile Plain, is well documented thanks to its inscriptions.

The castle is thought to have been built in the 1st century AD. Its inscription shows that it was repaired in 1336 (AH 737), in the time of Eretna Bey's Alaeddin Bey, and that new additions were made during the repair.

Zile Castle is also where, in history, Caesar came to Zile and said “Veni, vidi, vici” (I came, I saw, I conquered).

One of the castles that has survived in very good condition, Zile Castle was built of rubble and cut stone. Its walls are reinforced with round towers. The castle contains architectural remains dated to the Roman and Byzantine periods.

Zile Castle awaits new visitors in excellent condition. Be sure to put it on your Tokat travel list.

Almus Dam Lake

Almus Dam Lake in Tokat is one of the city's most impressive spots, where you can enjoy nature at its best, picnic and do water sports.

Especially in spring and summer, Almus Dam Lake is an important picnic area where people from surrounding districts spend the whole day. The area around the lake is rich in both fauna and flora. It is home to foxes, gazelles, pigeons, martens, wild goats, bears, wild boar, quail, blackbirds and turtle doves, and to beech, pine, oak, linden and cedar trees that create a lush green area.

Built on the Yeşilırmak and covering 4,000 hectares, Almus Dam Lake also has camping areas. If you like, you can camp for a few days in this beautiful countryside.

Sebastopolis Ancient City

The ancient city of Sebastopolis, a witness to Tokat's long history, is known to people who live in the province but not very well known outside it. Its remains are remarkably rich, yet it has had little promotion.

Sebastopolis is 69 kilometres from the city centre, in the district of Sulusaray. There is no firm information on the year the settlement was founded, but some sources say it was founded in the 1st century BC.

The city's plan resembles that of Pergamon, and its most important remains include a temple, a bath house and a lion statue. As a word, Sebastopolis means lofty, majestic and great. Some sources, however, refer to it as Heraclepolis.

Because of the many artefacts recovered from the ancient city, the Sebastopolis Open-Air Stone Works Museum and the Sebastopolis Mosaic House Museum were opened, and the finds were moved there and opened to visitors.

Sulusaray Hot Springs

Sulusaray Hot Springs, about 3 kilometres from Tokat's Sulusaray district, are visited constantly by local people and those from surrounding districts. The springs, in the village of Ilıcak, have both a Central Anatolian and a Black Sea climate.

They are known to be good for rheumatism, skin conditions and neuralgia. The waters of Sulusaray Hot Springs contain sulphate, sodium chloride and bicarbonate. The first studies of the thermal waters were carried out in 1933. If you want to choose a spa area for a holiday soon, you can add Sulusaray Hot Springs to your route.

There are hotels where you can stay at Sulusaray Hot Springs, as well as places to camp.

Kaz Gölü (Goose Lake)

Kaz Gölü is one of Tokat's most unusual and enchanting spots. Simply walking around or sitting facing the lake is enough here.

On a boat trip on reed-covered Kaz Gölü you will be accompanied by ruddy shelducks, white storks, magpies, moorhens, little grebes, wheatears and many other bird species. Yes, you can tour among the reeds by boat here, as much as you like.

Kaz Gölü was made a Wildlife Protection Area by the Ministry of Forestry. The lake has two birdwatching towers and a visitor centre. So everything has been thought of for you and blends in with nature.

We recommend staying at Kaz Gölü until sunset, because the sunset looks wonderful from here.

Mahperi Hatun Caravanserai

Mahperi Hatun Caravanserai, which has its own place in Tokat's remarkable history, dates from 1238–1239.

Built by Mahperi Hatun, wife of Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I, the caravanserai is in the district of Pazar. It is built of cut stone, and its entrance portal in particular is very impressive. The caravanserai is rectangular, and its entrance portal is also rectangular in plan.

Although the outer walls of Mahperi Hatun Caravanserai keep their original form today, its roof has collapsed completely. Recently restored, the historic building now serves as a restaurant. This magnificent piece of architecture should definitely be visited.

Tokat Atatürk House

The house in central Tokat where Atatürk stayed with his wife Latife Hanım in 1924 has been arranged and opened as a museum.

The house where Atatürk stayed in Tokat, which he visited many times, actually belonged to Mustafa Vasfi Süsoy, member of parliament for Tokat.

The house was expropriated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and opened as a museum in 2007. It is now known as the Atatürk House and Ethnography Museum. Visited by people from many of the province's districts and by many tourists coming to the city, the museum displays local objects.

Selemen Plateau

The Selemen Plateau, where you can enjoy both Tokat's nature and a historical memory in one place, lies on the border between Reşadiye and Ordu.

Amid its natural beauty, the Selemen Plateau hosts a large market. The traditional pasture market is held because in 1514, during the Chaldiran campaign, Sultan Selim I came here with his army, camped on the plateau and performed Friday prayers here. Since then the traditional market has been set up on the Selemen Plateau from spring until the first snow falls.

People from surrounding provinces and districts sell their produce at the market. In very old times, it is said, needs were met at the market by barter. You can go to the Selemen Plateau and enjoy both the market and the countryside.

Ali Pasha Hamam

Ali Pasha Hamam is easy to reach because it is in the centre of Tokat. It stands just east of the Ali Pasha Mosque, which bears the same name.

Dated to 1572, Ali Pasha Hamam was renovated and reopened by the General Directorate of Foundations in 1866.

The hamam's architecture shows that cut stone was used in its construction. An example of Ottoman bath architecture, it has separate, adjoining women's and men's sections. The women's section consists of a warm room, a hot room and a changing room, and the men's section was built in the same way. Only the hot room of the men's section has a cross-shaped plan, with a dome over the central heated platform (göbek taşı).

If you find yourself in Tokat, Ali Pasha Hamam is a historic place you must go and see, and it is still in use.

Pervane Hamam

Tokat, in the central Black Sea region, is one of our cities that should be visited and explored for its caves, its summer pastures and its historic sites.

On this page we tell you about the Pervane Hamam in Tokat.

One of the city's historic buildings, Pervane Hamam has stood since 1275. It is thought to have been built by Muinüddin Pervane, one of the Seljuk viziers.

The hamam has separate women's and men's sections, divided symmetrically. However, after restoration work by the municipality in 1951 it lost all its original features. Even so, it is worth seeing for its history.

Pervane Hamam is in the Kabe-i Mescit neighbourhood of central Tokat.

Ballıca Cave

Ballıca Cave, counted among the world's most magnificent caves, truly opens the door to an unknown world once you step inside, and it is one of the first places to see on a trip to Tokat. Many tourists even go to Tokat just to visit this cave.

Eight halls of Ballıca Cave are open to visitors. What other parts the cave has is still a mystery. As you walk through it, huge stalactites, stalagmites and onion-shaped stalactites will leave you amazed. Ballıca Cave is easy to reach. It is in the district of Pazar, 26 kilometres from the city centre, and takes its name from the village where it lies, Ballıca.

Among the pool hall, the great dripstone hall, the muddy hall, the fossil hall, the bat hall, the collapse hall, the hall of columns, the mushroom hall and the new hall, you will lose all sense of time.

Akbelen Plateau

Akbelen Plateau, one of Tokat's natural beauties and recently declared a tourism area, is at kilometre 18 of the Niksar road.

Three kilometres from the main road, the plateau also has a long history. It has been home to many civilisations and has managed to keep its natural beauty to this day. Amid its greenery, it offers visitors wonderful picnic spots. There are also trout farms in the area.

The people of Akbelen make their living from livestock and farming. Sour cherries, sugar beet, onions, walnuts and tomatoes are the main crops. If you find yourself in Tokat, we recommend a visit to Akbelen Plateau. The area's natural beauty offers many places to explore.

Tokat Museum

Tokat Museum, opened in 2007, displays 36,253 artefacts.

Source: http://www.gezilebilecekyerler.com/tokatta-gezilecek-yerler/

• Almus
• Artova
• Başçiftlik
• Erbaa
• Merkez (central district)
• Niksar
• Pazar
• Reşadiye
• Sulusaray
• Turhal
• Yeşilyurt
• Zile