An Essay on the Profiles of Those Staying Overnight At Madrasahs: A Case Study of Tokat Madrasahs (1830-1847)

The city of tokat situated in the inner parts of middle black sea area was an important center providing educational services during the ottoman period. it was an attractive city for its economic vitality, cultural richness and social facilities for many students. the madrasahs of this city with its historical background up to the turks’ entering anatolia was still popular in the first half of xixth century. there have been many academic publications about the architecture of madrasahs in tokat and in turkey, the importance of art history, relationships with the foundations (waqfs) and their importance in city life. yet, there is no single essay on the students’ staying overnight at the madrasahs at a specific period and the characteristics of the madrasahs. in this study, it is aimed to have a look on the profiles of the students coming from other places to the madrasahs for educational purposes in tokat in the middle of the xixth century. with the help of the sources of tokat population registers of xixth century, this study aims to classify and analyze the students staying at madrasahs overnight, their ages, places of departure and destinations, and physical appearances. the subject has been examined with the help of five foreign muslim sources compiled from 28 population and registered books of foreigners between the years of 1830-1850. from this point of view it has been aimed that population books had great impact on reflecting the role of the students having education in ottoman madrasahs and information about the foreign students at local scales.