Niksar
Encyclopedia
Niksar is a city in Tokat Province
, Turkey
. It has been settled by many empires over the centuries, and it was once the capital city of the province.
At 350 m. altitude and with a temperate climate, Niksar is known as "Çukurova
of the North-Anatolia" due to its production of every kind of fruit and vegetable except citrus fruits.
, Persian, Greek
, Pontic
, Roman
, Byzantine
, Danishmend, Seljuk
and Ottoman
empires. It has always been an important place in Anatolia
because of its location, climate and productive lands.
It was known as Cabira
in the Hellenistic period
. In 72 or 71 BC, a battle
during the Third Mithridatic War
took place at Niksar, and the city passed to the Romans. Niksar was called Diospolis, Sebaste, and Neocaesarea during the Roman period. "Niksar" is derived from Neocaesarea.
Niksar became part of the Eastern Roman Empire when the Roman Empire
divided into two parts in AD 395. When the Turks
raided Anatolia
in 1067, it was conquered by Afşın Bey, one of the commanders of Alparslan. The Byzantines retook the area in 1068. Conquered by Artuk Bey after the Battle of Manzikert
, Niksar once again returned to Byzantium in 1073.
Melik Gümüştekin Ahmet Gazi, founder of the Danishmend state and better known as Danishmend Gazi
, was the real conqueror of Niksar. After the conquest the Gazi made it his capital city, and Niksar became a center of science and culture. The mausoleum of Danishmend Gazi stands in a large cemetery just outside the town.
By 1175, during the reign of Kılıç Arslan II
, Niksar was dependent on the Seljuks of Rum. After the Mongol invasion of the 13th century, Niksar was governed by the Eretnids and then the Tacettinoğulları beylik and became the center of the latter principality.
After Kadı Burhanettin, who conquered Niksar in 1387, was killed in battle, the people of Niksar sought aid from the Ottoman
Sultan Bayezid I
. The Sultan's son, Süleyman Çelebi
, took Niksar for the Ottomans. In the later Ottoman period, Niksar became part of Tokat Province
. Fatih Mehmet launched a raid on Trabzon
from Niksar, and Yavuz Sultan Selim
and Suleiman the Magnificent
raided the east from there.
In 1919, a meeting was organized in Niksar to protest against the Greek occupation of İzmir
.
on the northwest, Tokat on the southwest, Almus
on the south, Başçiftlik
on the southeast and Akkuş
on the north. It is one of the five largest counties of Tokat.
The Canik Mountains are to the north, Dönek Mountain to the south, and the Niksar Lowland is situated between these mountains. The Niksar Lowland, which has become more fertile through irrigation and alluvial soil, is one of the most important lowlands of the Black Sea Region. The Canik Mountains are covered with plateaus that lie parallel to the Black Sea. Çamiçi High Plateau is one of the most important high plateaus, not just of Niksar but also of Tokat.
Niksar lands are very rich in rivers, and have been irrigated by large and small tributaries of the Kelkit River
.
Forests cover 53% of the plateau, and pasture 12%; 32% of the land is devoted to agriculture, and only 3% is unsuitable for farming.
Beech, pine, horn beech, and spruce trees can be found in the higher altitudes to the north of Niksar. In the lowlands there are poplar and willow trees, and fruit trees in the valleys.
Polecats, rabbits, wolves, foxes, lynxes, bears, and pigs are the main hunting animals that live in the mountains and forests. Partridges, quail and ducks are among the more important game birds found here.
Niksar has a transitional climate between the Middle Black Sea and Inner Anatolia. In general it is tepid and rainy in winter, hot in summer. The county averages an annual rainfall of 475.2 mm, and the annual heat average is 14.7 °C.
-Niksar houses is the kitchen. Called “Aşevi” or “Aşgana” in the local dialect, the kitchen is usually the largest room of the house and serves as a sort of lounge for the family.
The typical kitchen has a fireplace on one side used for cooking or washing and a storeroom on the other in which dried foods, preserves, sauces, cheese and grape leaves are kept. Beside the storeroom is a wooden granary with partitions for storing cereals and legumes.
In Turkey, it is common to eat meals around a low table. A typical meal might consist of some of the following dishes:
, bacaklı soup, hele soup, Gengirme toygası, Maize toygası, katıklı wedding soup, Zoğallı soup and Erikli soup, village toyga soup.
, Yaprak sarması
, cevizli bat, baklalı yaprak dolması
, kabak kabuğu kavurması, madımak, beet
, pehli.
and promenade area are very different. Gaining worldwide fame for its healing waters, Ayvaz Water is shipped in glass and plastic containers to multiple local and overseas markets.
Tokat Province
Tokat Province is a province in northern Turkey. Its adjacent provinces are Amasya to the northwest, Yozgat to the southwest, Sivas to the southeast, and Ordu to the northeast...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. It has been settled by many empires over the centuries, and it was once the capital city of the province.
At 350 m. altitude and with a temperate climate, Niksar is known as "Çukurova
Çukurova
Çukurova , historically known as Cilicia, is a geographic, economic and cultural region in south-central Turkey, covering the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye and Hatay...
of the North-Anatolia" due to its production of every kind of fruit and vegetable except citrus fruits.
Niksar in history
Niksar was settled by the HittiteHittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
, Persian, Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
, Pontic
Kingdom of Pontus
The Kingdom of Pontus or Pontic Empire was a state of Persian origin on the southern coast of the Black Sea. It was founded by Mithridates I in 291 BC and lasted until its conquest by the Roman Republic in 63 BC...
, Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
, Danishmend, Seljuk
Great Seljuq Empire
The Great Seljuq Empire was a medieval Persianate, Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire, originating from the Qynyq branch of Oghuz Turks. The Seljuq Empire controlled a vast area stretching from the Hindu Kush to eastern Anatolia and from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf...
and Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
empires. It has always been an important place in Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
because of its location, climate and productive lands.
It was known as Cabira
Cabira
Cabira , a place in Pontus, at the base of the range of Paryadres, about 150 stadia south of Eupatoria or Magnopolis, which was at the junction of the Iris and the Lycus. Eupatoria was in the midst of the plain, but Cabira, as Strabo says , was at the base of the Paryadres...
in the Hellenistic period
Hellenistic period
The Hellenistic period or Hellenistic era describes the time which followed the conquests of Alexander the Great. It was so named by the historian J. G. Droysen. During this time, Greek cultural influence and power was at its zenith in Europe and Asia...
. In 72 or 71 BC, a battle
Battle of Cabira
The Battle of Cabira was fought in 72 or 71 BC between the forces of the Roman Republic under Consul Lucius Licinius Lucullus and those of the Kingdom of Pontus under Mithridates the Great. It was a decisive Roman victory.-Background:...
during the Third Mithridatic War
Third Mithridatic War
The Third Mithridatic War was the last and longest of three Mithridatic Wars fought between Mithridates VI of Pontus and his allies and the Roman Republic...
took place at Niksar, and the city passed to the Romans. Niksar was called Diospolis, Sebaste, and Neocaesarea during the Roman period. "Niksar" is derived from Neocaesarea.
Niksar became part of the Eastern Roman Empire when the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
divided into two parts in AD 395. When the Turks
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
raided Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
in 1067, it was conquered by Afşın Bey, one of the commanders of Alparslan. The Byzantines retook the area in 1068. Conquered by Artuk Bey after the Battle of Manzikert
Battle of Manzikert
The Battle of Manzikert , was fought between the Byzantine Empire and Seljuq Turks led by Alp Arslan on August 26, 1071 near Manzikert...
, Niksar once again returned to Byzantium in 1073.
Melik Gümüştekin Ahmet Gazi, founder of the Danishmend state and better known as Danishmend Gazi
Danishmend Gazi
Danishmend Gazi, full name Gümüştekin Danishmend Ahmed Gazi or Danishmend Taylu , was the founder of the Beylik of Danishmends...
, was the real conqueror of Niksar. After the conquest the Gazi made it his capital city, and Niksar became a center of science and culture. The mausoleum of Danishmend Gazi stands in a large cemetery just outside the town.
By 1175, during the reign of Kılıç Arslan II
Kilij Arslan II
Kilij Arslan II was a Seljuk Sultan of Rûm from 1156 until his death in 1192.As Arnold of Lübeck reports in his Chronica Slavorum, he was present at the meeting of Henry the Lion with Kilij-Arslan during the former's pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1172...
, Niksar was dependent on the Seljuks of Rum. After the Mongol invasion of the 13th century, Niksar was governed by the Eretnids and then the Tacettinoğulları beylik and became the center of the latter principality.
After Kadı Burhanettin, who conquered Niksar in 1387, was killed in battle, the people of Niksar sought aid from the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Sultan Bayezid I
Bayezid I
Bayezid I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1389 to 1402. He was the son of Murad I and Valide Sultan Gülçiçek Hatun.-Biography:Bayezid was born in Edirne and spent his youth in Bursa, where he received a high-level education...
. The Sultan's son, Süleyman Çelebi
Süleyman Çelebi
Süleyman Çelebi was an Ottoman prince and a co-ruler of the empire for several years during the Ottoman Interregnum. - Back ground :...
, took Niksar for the Ottomans. In the later Ottoman period, Niksar became part of Tokat Province
Tokat Province
Tokat Province is a province in northern Turkey. Its adjacent provinces are Amasya to the northwest, Yozgat to the southwest, Sivas to the southeast, and Ordu to the northeast...
. Fatih Mehmet launched a raid on Trabzon
Trabzon
Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast...
from Niksar, and Yavuz Sultan Selim
Yavuz Sultan Selim
Yavuz Sultan Selim may refer to:* Selim I * SMS Goeben, a German cruiser renamed Yavuz Selim after she was transferred to the Ottoman Empire, and later simply as Yavuz...
and Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to his death in 1566. He is known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the East, as "The Lawgiver" , for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system...
raided the east from there.
In 1919, a meeting was organized in Niksar to protest against the Greek occupation of İzmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
.
Geographic location
Niksar is approximately 9555 km² (3,689 sq mi). It is located at 40°35’ north latitude and 36°58’ east longitude. Its average altitude is 350 m above sea level. It is surrounded by ErbaaErbaa
Erbaa is a town and a district of Tokat Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey.One km east-southeast of Erbaa is the archaeological site of Horoztepe. The mayor is Ahmet Yenihan ....
on the northwest, Tokat on the southwest, Almus
Almus
Almus is a town and a district of Tokat Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. The mayor is Hasan Hüseyin Arıkan ....
on the south, Başçiftlik
Basçiftlik
Başçiftlik is a town and a district of Tokat Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. The mayor is Mustafa Öztürk ....
on the southeast and Akkuş
Akkus
Akkuş is a town and large district of Ordu Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. According to the 2000 census, population of the district is 49,799 of which 8,768 live in the town of Akkuş. The district covers an area of , and the town lies at an elevation of .-Geography:Akkuş is in the...
on the north. It is one of the five largest counties of Tokat.
The Canik Mountains are to the north, Dönek Mountain to the south, and the Niksar Lowland is situated between these mountains. The Niksar Lowland, which has become more fertile through irrigation and alluvial soil, is one of the most important lowlands of the Black Sea Region. The Canik Mountains are covered with plateaus that lie parallel to the Black Sea. Çamiçi High Plateau is one of the most important high plateaus, not just of Niksar but also of Tokat.
Niksar lands are very rich in rivers, and have been irrigated by large and small tributaries of the Kelkit River
Kelkit River
The Kelkit River , is a river in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. It is the longest tributary of the Yeşil River....
.
Forests cover 53% of the plateau, and pasture 12%; 32% of the land is devoted to agriculture, and only 3% is unsuitable for farming.
Beech, pine, horn beech, and spruce trees can be found in the higher altitudes to the north of Niksar. In the lowlands there are poplar and willow trees, and fruit trees in the valleys.
Polecats, rabbits, wolves, foxes, lynxes, bears, and pigs are the main hunting animals that live in the mountains and forests. Partridges, quail and ducks are among the more important game birds found here.
Niksar has a transitional climate between the Middle Black Sea and Inner Anatolia. In general it is tepid and rainy in winter, hot in summer. The county averages an annual rainfall of 475.2 mm, and the annual heat average is 14.7 °C.
Cuisine of Niksar
The most unusual and important feature of traditional TokatTokat
Tokat is the capital city of Tokat Province of Turkey, at the mid Black Sea region of Anatolia. According to the 2009 census, the city of Tokat has a population of 129,879.-History:Tokat was established in the Hittite era....
-Niksar houses is the kitchen. Called “Aşevi” or “Aşgana” in the local dialect, the kitchen is usually the largest room of the house and serves as a sort of lounge for the family.
The typical kitchen has a fireplace on one side used for cooking or washing and a storeroom on the other in which dried foods, preserves, sauces, cheese and grape leaves are kept. Beside the storeroom is a wooden granary with partitions for storing cereals and legumes.
In Turkey, it is common to eat meals around a low table. A typical meal might consist of some of the following dishes:
Soups
TarhanaTarhana
Tarhana , trahanas or khondros , tarkhīneh, tarkhāneh, tarkhwāneh , trahana , трахана/тархана , kishk , or kushuk are names for a dried food based on a fermented mixture of grain and yoghurt or fermented milk, usually made into a thick...
, bacaklı soup, hele soup, Gengirme toygası, Maize toygası, katıklı wedding soup, Zoğallı soup and Erikli soup, village toyga soup.
Meals
Tokat kebabKebab
Kebab is a wide variety of meat dishes originating in Middle East and later on adopted by the Middle East, and Asia Minor, and now found worldwide. In English, kebab with no qualification generally refers more specifically to shish kebab served on the skewer...
, Yaprak sarması
Sarma (food)
Sarma is a dish of grape, cabbage or chard leaves rolled around a filling usually based on minced meat. It is found in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire from the Middle East to the Balkans and Central Europe.-Etymology and names:...
, cevizli bat, baklalı yaprak dolması
Dolma
Dolma is a family of stuffed vegetable dishes in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and surrounding regions such as Russia, Middle East and the Caucasus and Central and South Asia. Perhaps the best-known is the grape-leaf dolma. Common vegetables to stuff include onion, zucchini, eggplant,...
, kabak kabuğu kavurması, madımak, beet
Beet
The beet is a plant in the Chenopodiaceae family which is now included in Amaranthaceae family. It is best known in its numerous cultivated varieties, the most well known of which is the purple root vegetable known as the beetroot or garden beet...
, pehli.
Pastries
Çökelekli, katmer, cızlak, yufka pie, cevizli bun, bişi, stork giliği, muhacir pie, çarşaf pie.Desserts
Yufka dessert, kuşburnu jam, kalburabastı, mulberry molasses, rice puding, baklava, revani, semolina dessert, lokma dessert.Local attractions
Settled 13 kilometers from Niksar, Çamiçi high plateau is worth seeing as a world wonder for its altitude (over 1000 m), its green pine forests, cool weather and abundant fresh air. Ayvaz WaterAyvaz Water
Niksar Ayvaz Water is a natural spring water. The spring is located in the town of Ayvaz, which is near Niksar in Turkey. Ayvaz water is the second water of the world in terms of quality and it has made the Ayvaz village a mineral spa resort.-In culture:...
and promenade area are very different. Gaining worldwide fame for its healing waters, Ayvaz Water is shipped in glass and plastic containers to multiple local and overseas markets.