Tokat Province

Tokat Province is a province in northern Turkey. Its area is 10,042 km2, and its population is 596,454 (2022). Its adjacent provinces are Amasya to the northwest, Yozgat to the southwest, Sivas to the southeast, and Ordu to the northeast. Its capital is Tokat, which lies inland of the middle Black Sea region, 422 kilometers from Ankara. Etymology Evliya Çelebi explained the name of the city as Tok-at in return for the satiety of horses because of its rich barley in Turkish etymology. The Ottoman historian İsmail Hakkı explained Uzunçarşılı as Toh-kat, which means "walled city", and Özhan Öztürk, in his work called Pontus, used the word "Dahyu", which means "country, chastity" in Avesta and was first used for Cappadocia in the 6th century BC during the Achaemenid Empire. He claimed that the word "Dokeia", which was corrupted in the Greek dialect, turned into Tokat in time. History Tokat, after remaining under the rule of the Hittites, Assyrians, Hurrians and Cimmerians, passed under the rule of Persians, Macedonians of Alexander the Great period, Capodocia Kingdom and Pontus Kingdom, which gave the name "Comana Pontica". In 65 BC, it came under the rule of the Romans and the Byzantine Empire. Tokat Castle, which has a critical importance in Byzantine-Sassanid and Byzantine-Arab wars, is located on Hisartepe, 750 meters high, in the southwest of the city, which was taken under the rule of the Danismendids (1071) after the Malazgirt Victory and later by the Anatolian Seljuks (1150). The oldest traces of Tokat Castle belong to the 5th or 6th century and it is known that the castle existed in these years. The Armenian genocide in Tokat For the most part of history, Tokat has been populated by Armenians and Greeks. However, after the invasion of Seljuk Turks, they slowly started becoming a minority. For most of history, Tokat has played a significant role in trade and culture within the Armenian people. The Armenians have built churches, schools, universities, and cities in the Tokat province.