Tokat, also on the Yesilirmak river, has many Seljuk and Ottoman monuments which lend a picturesque yet solemn aesthetic to the cityscape. Among the main historical buildings are the ruins of a 28 towered castle, the 11th century Garipler Mosque and a Seljuk bridge. The 13th century Pervane Bey Darussifasi (Gok Medrese), one of Tokat’s finest buildings, is now the Archaeological Museum. A regional commercial center, Tokat has retained many of its hans, or commercial warehouses, including the Tashan, Suluhan, Yagcioglu Hani and Gazi Emir (Yazmacilar) Hani.

A walk down Sulu Sokak in the city center, a street lined with hans, mausoleums, bazaars and baths, provides an excellent overview of Tokat’s architecture. In the Gazi Emir (Yazmacilar) Hani you can find many examples of the block printed cloth – a 300-year-old tradition – for which Tokat is famous.

A tradition of carved and painted wood decoration and painted murals give Tokat’s konaks a particular elegance. The 19th century Madimagin Celalin Konak and the Latifoglu Konak have been restored to their former splendour and give a picture of wealthy life in rural Turkey 100 years ago.

69 km northeast of Tokat, Niksar, once a capital of the Danismend Emirs, has a well preserved citadel and early Turkish monuments, including the Coregi Buyuk Mosque which has a very fine 12th century carved stone portal. It was in Zile, south of Amasya and west of Tokat that Julius Caesar, after a particularly speedy battle, declared his famous “Veni, vidi, vici”. Beneath the citadel which guards the city stands the restored Ulu Mosque of 1269.