In XVI-XX. centuries the lost settlements in Anatolia: The sample of Tokat

"The missing villages issue" has been handled primarily by European researchers. There are few researches in our country in this field where western researchers form the basis in terms of purpose, content, method and resources. In the context of the Ottoman State, village losses in rural settlements in many regions of Anatolia are in need of investigation. In fact, this problem has been emphasized many times in primary sources. At the same time, contemporary historians, who conducted research on the history of Ottoman settlement and immigration, had a superficial contact with the issue. However, a detailed study on Sivas, Manisa and Konya has been carried out in the subject area. In this study, the rural settlements of Tokat, which have been preferred as an important settlement area by the Turks since the first principalities in Anatolia, and which have remained important in the process until today. Accordingly, the stages of the villages that existed in Tokat district in the 16th century until the 20th century were investigated. During this period, riots, banditry, tax pressure, climate change, natural disasters, long-term wars, deterioration of the timar system, change of administrative borders, internal and external migration, etc. it was determined that the settlements disappeared due to reasons. In the same timeframe, evaluations were made on new villages and displaced villages established in the Tokat district. Key Words: Tokat, Settlement, Ottoman Empire, Migration, Lost Villages