Abstract:

One of Anatolia’s oldest cities, Tokat has historically served as a host to numerous civilizations. During the Danishmend era around the end of the XIth century, it was ruled by Turkey. During this State, the city’s earliest religious, social, and cultural objects came into being. Melik Danishmend Ahmed Gazi constructed the Garipler Mosque as the earliest of these projects soon after conquering Tokat in 1073. The mosque in question is the first mosque erected by Turks in Anatolia. It has the characteristic of being a mosque of conquest as a result. The Garipler Mosque continued to remain with the help of waqfs established during the Danishmend, Seljuk, and Ottoman periods, and it is still open for worship today. In this article, one of the oldest religious buildings of Tokat, Garipler Mosque, and its foundations will be discussed. The mosque is one of the 17 mosques that were constructed in Tokat’s city center until the beginning of the XXth century. There are a few studies on its foundations covering limited time periods despite the fact that there are many studies on the mosque’s architectural construction. With the use of historical documents utilized as the primary source and the data in Sharia Registers, all the waqfs of the Garipler Mosque from its founding to the present will be reviewed in this study. A few financial foundations were set up to pay for the mosque’s upkeep, repairs, and staff salaries. A few affluent donors have also created extra waqfs for the mosque. By examining every aspect of the Garipler Mosque and its foundations, the study’s primary goal is to add to the historical and cultural history of Tokat.

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