Audioguides Tokat

Tokat sits in a valley of the Yesilirmak River in north-central Turkey, a provincial city that carries more history than its modest reputation suggests. The Gök Medrese, built in 1275 during the Ilkhanid period, is one of the finest examples of Anatolian Seljuk stonework in existence, its deeply carved portal facing a street where the sounds of copper workshops have echoed for centuries. Marco Polo passed through the region in the 13th century, noting the city's merchants and craftsmen.

Tokat Castle perches on a sheer rocky hill above the old bazaar quarter and offers views of the valley's patchwork of poplar trees and market gardens.

The city's wooden-framed Ottoman houses, many with overhanging upper floors that nearly touch across narrow lanes, survive in the older quarters south of the castle hill. Tokat is also known for its distinctive lokum (Turkish delight) and a style of kebab slow-cooked on a spit called Tokat kebabi, and the town's covered bazaar retains a working commercial character rather than a tourist one.