Secret of lamp atop Türkiye’s historic clock tower revealed
The mysterious lamp at the top of the historical clock tower built in Tokat during the reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II reportedly indicated weather in the past
Built in 1902, the lamp placed at the right corner of the historic clock tower in Tokat used to report the weather to its citizens until 1960.
Clock towers were built all over Türkiye in honor of the 25th anniversary of Sultan Abdulhamid’s ascension to the throne. One of these towers was built in Tokat.
It is because of these clock towers that people could learn the time and follow weather updates in the past.
According to meteorological measurements and forecasts, the officials would light the lamp.
This system informed Tokat’s people about the weather a day in advance, so they could plan their daily lives by looking at the lamp’s colors.
If the lamp is red, it shows snowy weather, green indicates rain, and yellow indicates sunny weather. It used to inform people a day in advance.
Until 1960, this lamp was actively used, but today, it is not working because of a lack of maintenance.
Tokat citizens now use modern communication tools such as telephone, computer or television to learn weather forecasts.
History researcher Aybike Gamze Gazioglu, who provided insights about the subject, said: “Sultan Abdulhamid erected clock towers all over Türkiye in honor of the 25th anniversary of his ascension to the throne. One of these clock towers was built in Tokat. People learn both the time and the weather from these clock towers.”
Source: Newsroom
